Maybe It's Okay to Repeat History
by XxoxLightningXxox
Summary: After Dr. O'Neil destroyed Project Renaissance, Sachs desperately repeated the experiment on female turtles. The project failed, and Sonia, Cecilia, Emilie and Anna were forced to grow up hidden from society. Years later they are on the run from Sachs, and they arrive in New York where they meet the other "victims" of the mutagen. 2014 universe, Turtles x OCs
1. Project Renassiance: Relaunch

**Kia ora! ^-^ **

**So you've just stumbled upon your doom. I'm kidding, it's just a fanfiction that I've been holding off for quite some time now. But I finally decided to publish it for the sake of publishing it. It's quite fun to write :)**

**After I saw the 2014 movie, I wanted to write a fanfiction with OCs. I thought, "what would happen if the year after April's dad destroyed the lab, Sachs decided to make another mutagen and repeat the experiment but with female turtles?" So I put fingers to keyboard and just started writing. *Looks around* anyone asleep yet?**

**So yeah, this fanfiction is set in the 2014 movie universe, during 2000 (the year after project Renaissance). I'm not really gonna spoil the plot now... *looks up* oops. **

**Oh, by the way *makes sign* WARNING: THIS FANFICTION IS RATED T FOR A REASON. OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE AHEAD!**

**So without further ado *drum roll* I present my failure of a fanfiction! Hehe ^-^**

**...**

**Are you still here?**

**You're... allowed to continue. **

**Enjoy?**

* * *

**Xx3xX**

**6:03pm, 1/16/2000, New Jersey**

"Declan? Come on, sweetheart. This is the third time this has happened in the past week. Time to wake up."

Declan lifted his head, his vision blurring, then lowered it again with a groan. His mother gave a quiet sigh, the kind that often showed she was frustrated, and reached out a cool palm to press against her son's head. It was alarmingly hot to the touch.

"Declan." Her voice was firmer this time. "Honey, you're burning up. I think it's high time you put your studies aside and get some rest."

Declan sat up and flopped back against his chair, groaning in exasperation. "Mom, I don't have time to rest. This paper is due tomorrow morning."

His mother moved to the kitchen counter, and switched the kettle on. She dodged between the open cupboards, removed the plate of cold soup from the microwave, and closed the fridge door that had been left open for longer than ten minutes. "And if you don't rest, you won't be able to write another word on that paper. You know why you're in this condition, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah." Declan pushed his pale blond hair out of his eyes. It was dyed, and he'd kept it that way since he started college. "Stress. You don't need to remind me."

"Contrary to popular belief, I do." Declan's mother pulled up a chair and sat down, her eyes shining. Her voice was firm, but her smile was kind. "Honey, I've been through college. I know what it's like, and sometimes I had to put my health first. When the stress builds up and you go to bed late, it compromises your immune system and leaves you suspect to illness. So you need to close the books and get to bed."

"You came here for a reason, right?" Declan asked with a yawn, pulling himself up with a great effort. "Not just to lecture me on all-that-is-holy about sleep? I'm not trying to be an ass, mom, it's just... I'm kinda sick of the whole 'Declan you can't be an engineer if you don't heed my scientific wisdom.' No offence."

His mother smiled uneasily in an attempt to hide that she was a _little_ offended. "Well... in all honesty, I did come for that reason, but not that alone. I need to ask a favor."

Declan grabbed the kettle and went to pour boiling water into a mug, but accidentally poured it on the counter. He didn't seem to notice. "Yeah... which is?"

His mother seized the kettle and put it back in it's rightful place. "I think you've had enough coffee. Now, how do I explain this... you know who I work for, don't you?'

"I don't know, Saxophone someone..."

"Eric Sachs, honey. He's the CEO of Sachs Industries, and a brilliant scientist. I've been honored enough to be selected to work alongside him on his newest project."

"Uh-huh." Declan turned and walked out of the kitchen. "So, what does this have to do with me?"

His mother shifted uneasily. "We'll get to that in a moment. Sweetheart, I need to have a look at those pet turtles of yours."

Declan stopped in his tracks, then slowly turned to his mother. "No."

"Darling-"

"No, don't you dare start me on the 'darling' bullshit. I know what you're pulling, mom, and it's not fucking right." Declan snapped. "You're not using my pets as test subjects for some twisted experiment."

Eliza was certain that Declan knew nothing about the disastrous Project Renaissance- that was classified information. But when his mother, who was a scientist, asked for a favor and to examine his pets, he put two and two together and knew she wanted to use them as test subjects. Eliza was finding herself at an impasse- she'd promised Sachs test subjects, and he'd promised her a place on the project. The only thing she could do at this point was lie.

"Declan, just listen to me." Eliza said quickly. "Sweetheart, Mr Sachs has developed something that could very well be life-changing. It's a... serum that could actually extend the lifespan of any organism that receives the serum. We've already tested a mammalian organism, and we just need reptilians. I can promise that your pets will be cared for and not mistreated in any way. Just think about it... we're at a breakthrough, honey, and it could very well mean that you'll be able to keep your pets for many years to come. This serum could save lives. All I need is your pet turtles... just for a little while."

Declan raised an eyebrow. "How long is a little while?"

Eliza hesitated. "Two weeks."

Declan bit the inside of his cheek, glanced around, then sighed in exasperation. "Fine. But if anything happens to them, I'll walk straight into your lab and take them back. Deal?"

"You have my word." Eliza extended her hand, which Declan just stared at. Finding she was going to get nowhere, she straightened up and brushed off her coat. "Now, dear, may I see the specimens?"

"Oh yeah, and another thing." Declan turned to glare at his mother. "Don't call them specimens."

He sighed and gestured to a large tank in the living room. "They're in there. Be careful with them, alright? Cheyenne will freak if anything happens to them."

Eliza didn't hear what he said- she was busy staring at Declan's pet turtles. "Fascinating. And what gender are they?"

"All female." Declan said, running a hand through his hair. "Their mother died a few weeks ago after Anna and Sonia were hatched. Cecilia and Emilie were from last year's clutch."

"Sisters, then. Very sweet. Did their mother lay any other eggs?"

"Not sure... I don't think she was completely fit to breed. But she had these four, and they're doing well. Just be really careful with Anna and Sonia... they're still really young."

Eliza stared in wonder at the small creatures. Two of them were snoozing on a rock, another was contently swimming and the fourth was almost pressed up against the glass, floating in the water and glaring at her.

"That's Emilie." Declan laughed. "She doesn't like you."

"Isn't that a shame?" Eliza told the small turtle. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can put aside our differences and be friends."

The turtle just continued to stare at her. She didn't seem to trust the scientist.

"And who is the one swimming?" Eliza asked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Anna."

"So the other two must be Sonia and Cecilia. Right, now that we've established that, I'll need something to carry them in."

Declan mumbled something under his breath, but reluctantly went off and came back with a small portable container. He carefully relocated the turtles to the portable tank, then handed it to his mother. "Just... be really careful. Please. They mean a lot to me."

Eliza smiled, reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her son's ear. "Only a mother could understand, Declan. I promise that I will do my very best to ensure they are well cared for."

Declan managed a small smile. "Yeah, well, if you don't... Cheyenne will flip. So can I... come see them every once in a while?"

"Of course you can." Her voice was soft, promising. Then she paused. "Just one quick question... how on Earth did you come up with such names for your pets?"

Declan shrugged demurely. 'Hmm... courtesy of an overly excited girlfriend."

"Ah. Makes sense." Eliza pushed her glasses up again. "Well, I'd better be on my way. I'll be in touch."

Before she made it out the door, she turned to smile at her son. "Thank you, Declan."

* * *

Eliza's heart rate sped up with every step she took down Declan's driveway.

She'd just lied to her son's face. Yes, the project was run by Eric Sachs, but it's purpose wasn't to extend the lifespans of organisms it came into contact with. It was to test a mutagen that was supposed to have extraordinary healing properties. Eliza had her doubts that the mutagen would seriously harm the turtles, but she needed the money to pay off her debt for Declan's house. Her son came first and foremost.

The container holding the turtles sat on the passenger seat as she anxiously drove back to the laboratory. There was an unnatural fluctuation in her breathing patterns, so she gripped the steering wheel to try and calm herself. Thankfully she came to a red light which gave her a little more time to compose herself.

Thankfully she made it to the laboratory with no other problems. Tightly gripping the container, she made her way into the laboratory, where her colleagues were waiting with Eric Sachs himself. The man grinned when he saw what Eliza was carrying.

"Here she is, the woman who is going to get us the breakthrough we need." He walked over and stuck his hand out for her to shake. Cradling the container in one arm, Eliza reached out and shook his hand. His grip was firm. "You're just in time, Dr. Scott. May I examine the specimens?"

Who was Eliza to tell Sachs not to call them specimens? Shaking, she held out the container. "Of course, sir."

Sachs took the container, and peered at the small lifeforms. "Perfect. They're just what we need."

He smiled warmly at Eliza. "You promised me the test subjects, I promised you a place on the project. Welcome to the team, Dr. Scott."

Her colleagues broke into applause, and Eliza found herself positively beaming.

* * *

Sachs had explained the purpose of the project in detail, and Eliza had absorbed every word. It was a relaunch of Project Renaissance, which had ended in disaster last year.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Sachs had said to the group of scientists, "I have a good feeling about this project. It's the year 2000, and it comes with a fresh start. I'm fully confident that this year we will achieve something spectacular. Every single one of you in front of me is going to change the world."

Eliza knew that playing a role in the project would mean an income beyond her wildest dreams. She had immedietly opted to provide test subjects, which Sachs was more than pleased about.

"As some of you may know, I worked alongside Dr. O'Neil last year to develop a mutagen with intricate healing properties. However, our success was short-lived- the laboratory was set ablaze and Dr. O'Neil tragically lost his life. This year we will honour Dr. O'Neil by continuing his research, and we will reach the breakthrough that he would have wanted to achieve.

"Project Renaissance was conducted on four reptilian life forms and a mammalian organism. Because the fire struck before we saw any changes in the test subjects, it would be preferable to repeat the experiment on life forms of the same class. If any of you can provide suitable test subjects for the project relaunch, it would be immensely appreciated."

Eliza was just a laboratory assistant when she overheard Sachs speaking, and spoke to him afterwards. He had offered her a place in the project if she provided the test subjects.

"If you can provide the specimens," Sachs had told her, "I will be more than glad to offer you a place on the project. To have reptilian test subjects is by all means satisfactiory, but it is something else entirely to have test subjects of a different gender. If the mutagen has the same affect on females of the same species as it does males, we will have achieved something life-changing. Do you understand?"

She definitely understood- there was no argument. All she had to do was convince Declan to allow her to borrow his pets. She'd stopped by later that evening to find her son asleep on piles of notes at the kitchen table, the smell of soup wafting through the air and Green Day's latest album blasting from the stereo. Eliza supposed that it would take a weight off of her son's shoulders if she took away one of his responsibilities.

And now here she was, privelaged enough to be partaking in the Project Renaissance relaunch. She sat with one of her colleagues while she waited. Sachs soon returned, clad in a lab coat and latex gloves. Clutching her clipboard, Eliza watched as Sachs carefully removed Sonia from the container, who didn't seem disturbed by the sudden movement.

"Administering mutagen." Sachs held up a syringe, and Eliza turned her gaze away. Injections made her feel nauseous. "Dr. Scott, I need you to log the exact date and time the mutagen was administered, and the names of the specimens."

"Yes sir." She glanced at her watch. _1-16-00, 6:43pm, Sonia_

Cecilia was next, and this time Eliza watched the process. Cecilia didn't seem to mind the injection- she just put up with it. Emilie seemed a little uncomfortable, but Anna flailed desperately to get away from the sharp object. However, the process was over quicker than Eliza had expected. She had recorded the required information, and colour coded each turtle. Soon they were placed in a glass tank, and provided with food. It was almost like they had never left.

Almost.

* * *

**2 weeks later...**

"Mom?"

Declan carefully made his way through the darkened laboratory, stepping over stray test tubes and crumpled notes. He nervously gripped the strap of his bag, and examined his surroundings. Okay, nothing looked officially shifty, but he was prepared to grab the turtles and run if some kind of freak of science jumped out at him.

"Come on, mom, you asked me to bring you dinner. It's gonna go cold."

He spotted a large glass tank, and smiled in relief. He gave his pets a once-over, ensuring they were just asleep and not dead, then pulled out a small container from his bag.

"Declan! What are you doing here?"

Surprised, Declan lost his balance and crashed into the table behind him. He pulled himself up, and started picking up the fallen papers. His mother stared at him from the desk beside the tank, her eyes visibly bloodshot behind the round frames of her glasses. She was obviously lacking a good night's sleep.

"Shit, mom, when's the last time you slept?" Hah. Coming from him, that sounded pretty hypocritical.

Eliza sighed in exasperation, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "You haven't answered my question."

Declan stared at her, confused. "Uh... you asked me to bring you _dinner_, remember? Now answer my question."

"Have I slept?" Eliza stifled a yawn. "It doesn't matter. What's the time, sweetheart?"

Declan pulled out his old phone, which happened to be a prized possession. "Uh... five past seven."

"Shit!" Eliza cried. "I was supposed to administer the mutagen at 6:43 but I fell asleep... move aside, son, I need to get to the specimens..."

She trailed off as she ran to get the syringe, leaving Declan standing there. Declan tried to process what she said, and one word in particular stood out.

"Hold the phone." He snapped. "Did you just say _mutagen_? Mom, you told me it was a serum. Mutagens affect the base sequence of DNA and increase the frequency of mutations, and are generally categorized as carcinogens which are cancerous... Mom, what the hell are you doing to my turtles?"

"Exactly what I told you." Eliza yawned, taking Sonia out of the tank and injecting her with the mutagen. "Healing them."

"From _what_!?" Declan cried. "You told me you were attempting to extend their lifespans, not heal them! They don't need healing, mom, they're perfectly healthy! Unless..."

He stopped, his eyes on Cecilia who was currently being injected, and his jaw fell slack. "Oh no. No no no."

Eliza eyed her son, confused, then moved on to inject Emilie. "What?"

Declan put his face close to the tank, examining the turtles. "Don't fucking tell me you've been injuring them just to heal them with some cancerous crap!"

"Declan, you're jumping to conclusions-"

"Jumping to conclusions? I'm_ jumping to conclusions_!?" Declan shouted. "Mom, they're my _pets_! I agreed to you using my turtles on the terms that no harm would come to them. You gave me your _word_ that you wouldn't hurt them. You fucking lied to me!"

"I did no such thing!" Eliza retorted, turning so suddenly that she almost dropped Anna. "Declan, I told you the truth and nothing else. When I asked to borrow your pets, my intentions were to simply provide Sachs with test subjects. I told you that, didn't I? Sachs is a good man, and he has no intentions to harm these turtles. So you have absolutely no right to lay accusations on me."

Declan stared at his mother in disbelief with his mouth open. Slowly he closed his mouth, and his eyebrows knitted together. "That's it."

He stormed past his mother, glancing around the room. He disappeared out of Eliza's line of sight for a moment, then returned with the container he'd originally given to Eliza. On his way back he stumbled over an empty canister, knocking over a folder. Cursing, he picked it up, but paused when his eyes fell on the first page.

"Toxin... political advantage... mutagen..." His eyes darted over the page quicker than Eliza could move towards him. "Once the mutagen becomes adapted to the DNA of the test subjects... blood will build immunity of humans to _toxic affects? _So this guy is planning to release a toxin into the atmosphere only to showcase himself as the answer to the problem? That's both sick and nonsensical! How the hell can you administer humans with reptilian blood? Reptiles are cold-blooded whereas humans are warm-blooded. But the biggest problem is that this Saxophone asshole is planning to completely drain my turtles of blood for his pathetic political dreams!"

He crumpled up the page, threw it aside and walked back to the tank. "But as far as I'm concerned, his dreams are screwed."

Eliza could only watch as Declan reached into the tank, and relocated the turtles to the container. "Declan, stop it. Put the specimens back!"

"They're not _specimens_!" Declan spat. "They're my pets!"

This time Eliza raised her voice, which she hadn't done in a long time due to her high blood pressure. "Declan, put the damned turtles back!"

Declan put the fourth turtle in the container, and sealed the lid. "Trust is pretty fragile, mom, and you've broken it more than once. This time you've crossed the line. So I suggest to find yourself some new test subjects."

He pulled a package out of his bag, and threw it at her. "Here's your fucking dinner."

Declan turned on his heel and stormed out of the laboratory, carrying the one thing that Eliza had hoped would bring them closer together. She seized the folder and tore out every note she could find, stopping to tear each page into indecipherable pieces. Finding that was pointless, she grabbed the clipboard with the records of mutagen administration from both Project Renaissance and the relaunch, and tore the pages apart. How could Sachs repeat the experiment if he didn't have any physical record on how much mutagen he'd administered to the test subjects in the past? Maybe he would find a way. But not immedietely.

If the project meant Eliza had to lose her son's trust, then it meant absolutely nothing to her.

* * *

"Declan, calm down. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're not listening, Cheyenne! I've said twice now that my mother wanted my turtles just to please some insane guy with dreams to, I don't know, rule the fucking city!"

"This is New Jersey. It's not like he'll be at an advantage here."

"I'm pretty sure his company is based in New York. But I'm being serious here, Chey, this guy was actually planning on releasing some kind of toxin into the atmosphere just to cure everybody and win their favour!"

"Was he even in the running for the local election?"

Declan groaned in frustration. "You're completely missing the point here! It doesn't matter about politics, what matters is that the people have a saviour! The dude thinks he's Jesus Christ reincarnated or something!"

Cheyenne sighed and shook her head, got up, and grabbed a container of blueberries out of the fridge. She sat down again, and held one out to Anna. "Look, Declan, it's getting late... can't we just talk about this in the morning?"

Declan stared at his girlfriend. "Doesn't this mean _anything _to you? My mother just lied to my face and practically poisoned our pets!"

"They seem okay to me." Cheyenne replied. She held Anna in the palm of her hand and raised her to eye level. "You're fine, aren't you, baby girl?"

Anna just ducked her head and continued eating away at the blueberry. Cheyenne seemed more than satisfied. "That's my girl. Yeah, she's fine. Declan, you should probably get some sleep. I think all this stress is wearing you out."

"And what are you gonna do?" Declan retorted. "Sit here and talk to turtles?"

"Of course." Cheyenne said matter-of-factly. She took more blueberries, and put one in front of each of the other turtles. "These are my home girls, and we've got some catching up to do."

"Oh, please." Declan scoffed.

"I thought I was your home girl." Melanie, Cheyenne's best friend and their flatmate, entered the kitchen and walked over to the fridge. "Besides, what are you going to catch up with them on? Like, did they meet any nice boy turtles while they were playing test subjects?"

"That's a good question." Cheyenne gave Anna an inquisitive look. "Well, miss? Did you find love during your lab adventures?"

Anna seemed more in love with the blueberry than anything else.

"She's too young." Melanie laughed, and reached out to pick up Emilie. "What about you, Em?"

Emilie looked at her as if to say, "_don't bother asking_."

Melanie grinned. "She'll be a hit with the boys when she's older."

Declan had had enough at that point. "That's it, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, turtle whisperers."

"Hah, you're one to talk!" Melanie called, throwing a water bottle after him. She turned to Cheyenne. "I'm going to bed too, Chey. Don't stay up too late, alright? We have a coffee date tomorrow."

"Then staying up late won't be a problem." Cheyenne laughed. She carefully scooped up the turtles, and went back to the tank in the living room. "Goodnight, Mel."

"Night, Chey." Melanie called back.

Cheyenne grinned and carefully placed each turtle in the tank, then lightly tapped on the glass. "Goodnight, girls. Don't worry about what Declan said... he's probably just over-tired."

* * *

Cheyenne was an early riser, and that went without saying. Declan was the complete opposite- he slept in for as long as he could. But Cheyenne was usually up at 6am to go for a run and practice Jujitsu, which she'd been practicing since she was young. After she'd endured particular hardships, she figured that she needed to prepare herself mentally and physically.

Being careful not to wake Declan, she got up and quietly got changed, and pulled on a pair of trainers. Not bothering to brush her hair, she pulled the messy strawberry blonde locks into a ponytail. Figuring she could do with some protein before she left, she headed downstairs to make a smoothie, but stopped once she reached the bottom of the stairs. Something just didn't seem right. Maybe Declan was telling the truth, and his mother could have broken in to steal the turtles. It sounded crazy, but if the project was as important as Declan said...

Her heart pounding, Cheyenne walked quickly to the living room to make sure her beloved pets were safe, but she stopped dead in her tracks. She definitely wasn't expecting to see something like this.

"DECLAN!'

**Xx3xX**

* * *

**Oh noes :o I guess Cheyenne will believe Declan now *evil grin***

**So that's the first chapter :) was it okay? Reviews (and follows... and favourites) and criticism is welcome. I appreciate constructive criticism- it helps me improve my story. I'd also like to know if I've made any mistakes on the 2k14 movie plot. **

**Stay posted for the next chapter! Merry Christmas! :D (and may you recieve presents and food. Food is good.)**

**Xx3xX**


	2. Abandonment and Broken Trust

**Oops! I just remembered that I forgot to do the disclaimer in the first chapter XD so I'd better do it here.**

***Clears throat and opens up scroll* A-HEM! XxoxLightningxxoX does not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As far as she is concerned, all rights belong to Nickelodeon. If she owned TMNT, she would demand that Donatello was the main character in every 2k12 episode and that he had more screentime in the 2k14 film. And any other films to come.**

**:3 *hugs Donnie plush***

**So, um, now that that's over... *cough* let's continue onto the chapter, shall we? I'm super excited to introduce the male turtles to the story. It probably won't be until the fourth chapter... but they'll appear, don't worry! I promise :D**

**Enjoy! This is a long chapter, so... hopefully you make it through :)**

**Oh, and here's some song lyrics that I thought kinda related to the chapter. I'll probably get told to take them down eventually.**

_In a moment everything can change  
__Feel the wind on your shoulder  
For a minute all the world can wait  
Let go of your yesterday  
Can you hear it calling? Can you feel it in your soul?  
Can you trust it's longing, and take control?  
_**Fly- Hilary Duff **

**Yeah, I don't own that song. So... please don't kill me.**

* * *

**Xx3xX**

**12 years later...**

"Declan!"

Exasperated, Cheyenne Scott picked up the stray sock on the landing of the stairs, and continued on to Declan's study. Once she was there she knocked on the door, threw it open without waiting for a reply, dropped her bag and held up the sock with a raised eyebrow.

"Well?" She asked, looking from the sock back to him.

Declan looked up from his work, glanced at the sock for a moment, then gave Cheyenne a bewildered look. "That's not mine."

Cheyenne raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Because I specifically remember you kicking your shoes off the other day, and you were wearing this and whatever else stupid sock it goes with."

Declan knew how to calm his wife down- make her coffee with her favorite hazelnut coffee creamer. He put his work down and got up. "Coffee?"

Cheyenne glared at him, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What?"

"I'll take that as a yes." Her husband said cheerfully. "Do we have any of that hazelnut crap left?"

Cheyenne lightly hit him with the sock. "It's not crap!"

"Tastes like crap to me." Declan shrugged, making his way to the kitchen. He paused, realising he'd forgotten to do something Cheyenne had entrusted him with. He'd been so carried away with his work that it slipped his mind. Hopefully she forgot about it aswell.

Cheyenne took one step into the kitchen, looked around, and her expression hardened. "Declan?"

_Shit_. "Hmm?"

"Don't 'hmm' me. You haven't made dinner."

He stopped in his tracks and turned around, grinning sheepishly. "Ah. Right. You know, I was just about to get started on that but when you distracted me with the sock, it slipped my mind."

Cheyenne closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. "Declan. It's quarter to seven. We have dinner at six. You haven't even started _preparing_ it. The girls are probably hungry."

"Okay, okay. I'll start making it now." Declan sighed. "What am I supposed to be making?"

Cheyenne glanced over at the kitchen counter, then back to her husband. "Does the stuff on the counter ring any bells?"

"CHEYENNE!"

She turned to the source of the childlike voice, to see Anna running towards her. She held up an empty tube, sniffling. "Cecilia poured all of my bubble mixture out the window!"

"Oh, honey." Cheyenne said sympathetically, taking the tube. "Why did she do that?"

"B-because she said I was being too loud." Anna spluttered, wiping her eyes. "She got really mad and snatched my bubble mixture, and poured out all of it!"

"That wasn't a nice thing to do.' Cheyenne said firmly. She reached out and gently wiped away Anna's tears. "Don't worry, honey, I can make some more bubble mixture for you. It's an easy thing to replace."

"Really?" Anna asked, her eyes widening. "How?"

"Dish soap and water." Cheyenne replied, smiling. "I used to make my own bubble mixture all the time. But before I make some for you, I need to have a word with your sister. CECILIA!"

The eldest of the sisters entered the kitchen minutes later, saw Anna there, and instantly put her guard up. "It was Anna's fault! She was singing so loudly I couldn't hear myself think. I told her to stop but she didn't listen."

"So you poured her bubble mixture out the window?" Cheyenne raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Cecilia, that wasn't fair. You should have moved to another room if she was bothering you so much."

Cecilia frowned. "I still would have heard her. Her voice was exceeding the optimum volume of which you call an 'inside voice.' In fact, the sound of her voice is incredibly obnoxious."

"Alright, that's enough from you." Declan said quickly, figuring he should save Cecilia from Cheyenne's wrath. "Cecilia, are you up for helping me with another invention?"

Cecilia instantly lit up. "Definitely."

Declan grinned. "Awesome. We'll get to work after dinner. Sound good?"

"Yep." Was all the excited mutant could say before she took off down the hallway, with Anna not far behind her.

"I'm not finished with you!" Cheyenne called. She looked at Declan, frustrated. "One day you'll regret not reprimanding her."

Declan shrugged. "She's a brilliant inventor, Chey, and she's the reason we're able to pay off our student loans. Cecilia needs encouragement to continue what she's so talented at doing."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that she needs to learn to respect others." Cheyenne said firmly.

Just then Sonia entered the room, and put a few letters on the table. "The mail arrived this morning, but I had to wait until it was dark to get it. I'm sorry about that."

"See, this is respect." Cheyenne told her husband. She turned to back to Sonia. "Thank you, Sonia, that was a generous thing of you to do. Just wondering, where's Emilie?"

Sonia rolled her eyes. "Listening to music somewhere."

"Of course." Declan said, picking up one of the letters and tearing it open. "Why don't you go and get ready for your training thing? I'm sure Cheyenne can fit in a session before dinner..."

He turned his attention to the letter to avoid Cheyenne's challenging gaze. As he continued reading, his face fell. He stood still for a moment, then held the letter out to Cheyenne, who read it in a matter of seconds.

"Outstanding balance... student loan... $60,000!? Declan, it's increased by $4000! You can't keep holding off the payment! 'If this is not paid in 30 days, we will take action to ensure the debt is collected." Cheyenne stared at the letter, her fingers trembling. "How the hell are we going to pay this off?"

"I don't know." Declan sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Keep inventing things?"

Cheyenne gaped at him. "You can't be serious. What's that going to do?"

How the hell was he going to tell her? Declan knew Cheyenne would be furious when she found out who he was selling the machinery to. But he'd vowed to never keep secrets from her. "Chey... a few months ago a friend of mine told me about a company that needed machinery because they had lost a lot of funding over..."

Cheyenne raised an eyebrow. "Over...?"

Declan glanced at the ground. "A project."

She figured it out right away. "Declan..."

"I offered to provide them with the machinery that Cecilia and I invented. They offered me a lot of money for the inventions."

"You're kidding me." Cheyenne laughed, unable to believe it. "Declan, you said yourself that Sachs was an 'evil' man who wanted nothing but power over the city, and now you're _helping_ him? You know what extent that guy will go to- he practically poisoned the girls!"

"You talk as if what they're like now is some kind of burden on you!" Declan snapped. "And I'm not helping him with his stupid dream. It's not like he'll make some device to blow up the city."

"He's a scientist, right?" Cheyenne asked. "I'm sure he'll figure something out. And the girls are not a burden on me- what's a burden is that they'll have to grow up hidden from humanity, who have become so judgemental that they'd never be accepted. It's heart-breaking, Declan. They've become daughters to me, and the last thing I want is for them to get hurt. And what you're doing is practically stabbing them in the back."

"Cheyenne, this company is paying huge money for my inventions, and there could be a career prospect ahead of me. It also means that we could find some sort of education for Cecilia."

"What, by sending her back to the lab and teaching her that all she'll ever be in life is a test subject?" Cheyenne hissed. "I don't think so. I want the girls to have a proper upbringing, and I don't want there to be any secrets in this family. So you'd better do some serious thinking about who you're really working for."

She gave him one last critical look, before leaving to train with Sonia.

* * *

It was unusually quiet at the dinner table that night, which made Declan feel uneasy.

They often all talked enthusiastically during dinner, but everyone ate in silence. Even Anna, who was the loudest and the most excitable. Sonia finished at a quicker pace than normal, quietly thanked Declan, and left. She'd heard him talking with Cheyenne- it was evident in her behaviour. Declan felt Cheyenne glaring holes in the side of his head.

When everyone was almost finished, there was a knock at the door. Cheyenne gave the three girls a quick glance, and they quickly got up and left the room. They'd managed to conceal themselves for twelve years, and they certainly weren't about to reveal themselves now.

Cheyenne gave Declan the _'you get the door'_ glance, so he reluctantly did. When he opened the door, a man who he recognized as his neighbour was standing there, looking confused.

"Hello." Declan said stiffly.

"Good evening." The man replied, forcing himself to smile. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to ask... is, uh... is everything alright?"

Declan stared at him, confused. "I'm sorry?"

The man cleared his throat. "See, we've been a little concerned. My wife and I have been living next door to you for twelve years now, and we noticed that for most of that time, you've seemed quite... reclusive. Forgive me for saying so, but you often have the curtains closed during the day. In such a lively and close community like this, it's a little odd that you don't often make appearances. Is everything alright?"

_Other than the fact that we've technically adopted four mutant turtles? _"Y-yes, everything's fine. I appreciate your concern though. We just... don't like people."

The man stared at him as if he was an alien who'd just crash-landed in the middle of the neighbourhood. "You don't like people?"

"Yeah." _Nice save, Declan. _"Look, no offence, you seem like a nice guy and everything, but we just don't get along with other people. I've been socially awkward all my life, so..."

Well, that was mostly true.

"Ah." The man seemed satisfied. "I see. Well... if you need anything, we're right next door."

Declan nodded awkwardly. "Thanks."

"Have a good night."

As soon as his neighbour had left, Declan closed the door and retreated to his study. On his way up the stairs he passed Emilie, who gave him a hostile glare. Emilie was shy and usually kept to herself, but she was never hostile. Not like this, anyway. Perhaps she'd overheard him speaking with Cheyenne aswell.

He sat down at his computer, and opened up his email inbox. Hopefully there wasn't another email about outstanding student loans or messages from his friend, who was holidaying in Australia. Sometimes he really wished he could just get out of New Jersey and travel.

But that wasn't going to happen. At least not for a long time. Ever since he'd dropped out of college to raise the girls, he'd been rendered unable to do alot of the things he wanted to do. He clearly remembered the night when Cheyenne called out to him, concerned because their pet turtles were somehow growing. Declan instantly knew it had to be the mutagen, but waved it off. The turtles continued to mutate to that of an almost humanoid state, and grew in the same ways as humans did. They started out as infants, and Cheyenne immedietely chose to raise them instead of getting rid of them. Getting rid of them wasn't even an option to her, though Declan had to think about it for a while.

Melanie, their flatmate, moved out as soon as she knew what was going on. Cheyenne was pretty hurt, but she understood that it would have been a lot for Melanie to take in. While Cheyenne continued studying to be a drama teacher, Declan dropped out of university to raise the girls. Cecilia adopted Declan's love for tinkering and designing, and so he taught her everything he knew which she absorbed with pure fascination. She was incredibly intelligent, however science wasn't her forte- unless it was physics. Cecilia was the kindest out of her sisters, but when pushed too far, she did become quite nasty.

Emilie was one of eldest, though she was more insecure than the others. Cheyenne had tried to make her come out of her shell, but she prefered to be reclusive. As she grew up she developed a passion for cooking, and often helped Cheyenne in the kitchen. It was one of those rare occasions where she actually openly communicated with anyone. She seemed to have trust issues, since really the only person she ever confided in was of course Cheyenne, but she was never actually hostile towards anyone. She was just incredibly shy, but obviously something had happened that made her despise Declan.

Sonia was younger than Cecilia and Emilie, but she was cognitively advanced in her years. She lacked the intellectual skills that Cecilia had, but her state of mind was far more developed than that of her sisters. Cheyenne had taught her jujitsu since she could walk, and she dedicated all of her time and energy to training. Emilie and Cecilia began training several years later, however Sonia was the only one who actually practiced outside of the sessions. She did hold a low tolerance for her sisters' behaviours at times, especially Anna's- Sonia often berated her younger sister for her tendency to be excitable and obnoxious. While Sonia needed to learn about empathy and channelling her temper, she was resourceful, moral, and a natural born leader. Still, Declan often expressed to Cheyenne that Sonia needed to lighten up.

Anna was the most upbeat and enthusiastic of her sisters, though she easily became annoying after some time in her presence. She had been a vegetarian for as long as Declan could remember due to her respect for sentient life, and she was the most daring compared to the other girls. Anna could be quite absent-minded and unfocused- she joined training with Emilie and Cecilia, but would often sneak away during the sessions to the basement. She taught herself gymnastics through watching videos on Cheyenne's old laptop, and nobody actually knew until Emilie caught her practicing. Sonia had disapproved, but Cheyenne encouraged her individuality. Anna adored Cheyenne, but she had never really taken the time to talk with Declan. He supposed it was because he was focused on his inventions, and she prefered to be around those who were enthusiastic.

Despite their differences, the girls cared about each other immensely. Cheyenne encouraged them to bond since she had a sister growing up, whereas Declan was an only child. Of course Cheyenne was the perfect person to raise four mutant turtles, for God's sake. She was talented in far too many things for Declan to comprehend, and she had the patience and dedication that he only had when it came to inventing. Cheyenne taught the girls everything she knew- the only thing Declan had really contributed to was Cecilia's skills in mathematics and physics. There were times were Declan felt upstaged by his wife, but at the moment, he was too deep in debt to really care.

He was about to close his inbox when the subject of one email caught his eye. His heart pounding, he opened it up, and read the message over.

Then he read it again. And again- but this time he only focused on the most important words.

Eric Sachs. Sachs Industries. Machinery. Job. New York. $400,000 salary. His eyes darted over those words again, but his posture was still and his face was white.

Declan would have been convinced that the email was fake, if it didn't have document attachments, including a contract preview. It was also clearly stated in the email that Sachs expected a reply... _shit! I was supposed to contact him tonight!_

Declan searched desperately for his phone, sighed in relief when he found it, and entered the number given on the email. He paused for a moment, thinking about what Cheyenne had said... but he desperately needed the money. And though the girls weren't a burden on Cheyenne's life, they were becoming a burden on his.

He took a deep breath, and pressed dial.

One dial tone passed. Two passed. Four. "Good evening, you're speaking with Eric Sachs, CEO of Sachs Industries."

"Mr Sachs. M-my name is Declan Scott. I've been providing you with machinery for the past three months, and you emailed me with a job offer."

"Indeed I did, Mr Scott. Your inventions are quite brilliant, and they're just what my company needs. Though you have read the email, I'd just like to reiterate the details. I am offering for you to work for my company in New York by providing me with machinery, and your starting salary will be sitting at four hundred thousand a year. I could possibly even arrange for temporary accomodation for you. So... are you interested?"

There was a pause, then- "yes, sir. Yes, I am."

* * *

Cheyenne left for work at six in the morning, and entrusted Declan with taking care of the girls. Anna and Cecilia often slept in, while Emilie was an early riser and Sonia awoke early to practice. Declan worried for a while that those two in particular would catch him out while he was getting ready to leave, but since Sachs had already arranged for a fully furnished apartment, Declan figured he didn't need to take many possessions. Just items of sentimental value, really.

He kissed Cheyenne goodbye before she headed off to work, and she questioned his out-of-characterness. He just smiled and offered to pick her up during her break to go out for brunch, and she let him off for that.

_Thank God. _He thought, relieved. _Getting Cheyenne to come with me won't be a problem. I just have to avoid the mutant-turtle-girls... whatever they are._

He packed his clothes and most of Cheyenne's, Cheyenne's jewellery and perfume, and any other possessions of serious value to them. Cheyenne's most prized possessions was her wedding ring and a bracelet that Anna had made her years ago, both of which she was already wearing, so Declan assumed he'd packed enough. Assuring that no one was watching, he snuck outside and threw the bags in the car.

Feeling almost guilty, he went back to his study, and opened up the safe where he kept the money that Sachs gave him for the machinery. He took enough to see him and Cheyenne through for about a week, and left the rest to the girls. He didn't know how the hell they were going to use it, but they would figure it out. Maybe.

Declan locked himself in his study until about 10:15 in the morning. Cheyenne's break was at 10:30, so that gave him enough time to get to the school where she taught. Once he picked her up, he would drive straight onto New York City. As soon as it hit 10:15, he put the keys to the house on his desk, and went downstairs.

His heart rate picked up again as he headed for the front door. Maybe it was a stupid, careless thing to do. Maybe he should forget about it and stay for Cheyenne.

But he was tired of living with his mother's lie. He'd tossed away his life because of her dishonesty, and here was an opportunity to take it back. An opportunity to actually have the life that was owed to him. There was no point in obsessing over the failures from the past when he had a new chance for success.

Declan Scott walked out the front door, the prosperity of a new life blocking all rational thought, and he never looked back.

* * *

Emilie watched through the kitchen window as Declan pulled his car out of the driveway and drove away, completely ignoring the fact that he'd neglected to tell the girls where he was going. She may have been only thirteen years old, but she knew who was fit to be deemed trustworthy, and she'd never trusted Declan from the start.

Cheyenne had accepted them regardless of who they were, whereas Declan was always reserved and quiet around them, except Cecilia. But that was just because she'd helped him earn more money than he could have ever earned on his own. Cecilia was the reason that Declan had been offered the job in the first place, and now he no longer needed her.

Emilie had overheard the phone conversation, since she was on her way upstairs to have a shower. The idiot forgot to turn loudspeaker off of his phone, so Emilie heard everything that was said. She instantly latched onto Declan's plans to drop everything and leave her and her sisters, but Cecilia refused to believe her. She was too attached to the guy.

He was careless. Selfish. A liar. And though it didn't surprise Emilie, she didn't exactly believe that he'd go to the extent of abandoning them. But he was like the rest of society- afflicted with hostility and apathy. At least that's how it was in her eyes. Her sisters were blind to the truth.

Emilie left the kitchen to find Sonia. She would be the only one who would actually listen.

She found her in the basement, training, and cleared her throat. "Sonia."

Sonia paused, and turned to face her sister. "I'm busy, Emilie. Can't you leave it for later?"

"Declan's gone." Emilie explained. "I just thought you'd want to know."

"And?" Sonia asked, giving her sister a critical look. "He'll be home soon. Since when did you care about this kind of thing?"

"He's not coming back." Emilie snapped. "I heard him talking to someone last night. He's getting a job in New York, and he's going to live there."

"Oh, grow up-"

"Don't tell me to grow up!" Emilie retorted. "You know what? Fine. Maybe you won't believe me now, but you will later."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Find out for yourself."

"He will come back." Sonia said firmly. "I'm sure of it."

Hours passed and there was no sign of Declan- nor Cheyenne. She usually got home at 5pm, and the hour passed rapidly. Anna became quite frightened when she realised Cheyenne wasn't returning, and this concerned Sonia. Maybe Emilie was right after all.

"Where's Cheyenne?" Anna asked for what was probably the sixteenth time. "She always comes home at this time. Sonia... I'm scared."

"She's not coming home." Emilie said, getting up off of the couch. "Who wants toast?"

Anna looked horrified. "What!?"

"Emilie, stop it." Cecilia snapped. "You're scaring Anna."

Emilie shrugged. "I'm just telling the truth. So do you guys want toast or not?"

"No." Anna said, and burst into tears. "I want Cheyenne to come home."

"And she will." Cecilia said gently, pulling her sister into a comforting hug. "Don't worry, Anna. Everything's going to be fine."

Sonia couldn't really comfort Anna, since she'd be telling her a lie. She had a gut feeling that Emilie was actually right, but she didn't expect that Cheyenne would desert them. The one thing that terrified her was the fact that they were going to have to fend for themselves.

If that was the case, Sonia knew she and her sisters had a lot of growing up to do. They would have to look after each other and stay hidden from the rest of the neighbourhood. Who knew what would happen if someone saw them?

Sonia mentally counted the factors that would contribute to their survival. Emilie could cook. Cecilia was resourceful, and a brilliant inventor. Anna could... well, she couldn't really do anything of importance.

Sonia herself was mature for her age, resourceful, and she could fight. Her mental awareness would prove crucial for keeping her sisters in tow. So if someone was going to take charge, it had to be her. Cheyenne had taught her that teamwork and family were some of the most important things in life. She was confident in her own abilities, but she had concerns about her sisters.

If they were going to have to fend for themselves, her sisters would have to prepare themselves mentally and physically. Sonia would have to teach them everything she knew in the art of jujitsu. Maybe then they would actually have a chance at surviving.

But she couldn't help but resent Declan and Cheyenne for deserting them. So they were mutants, but Sonia had grown to trust and confide in them as parental figures.

She learnt her first lesson in growing up then and there, when she finally understood the situation- trust was fragile, and it took seconds to break and forever to repair.

There was still a sense of hope that Declan and Cheyenne would return. But morning came and another night passed, and they hadn't returned.

All they had was each other- but it was all they ever needed.

* * *

**Nooo :'( ****Declan** **is such a jerk. What's more is that he actually stopped talking to his mum because she was working for the evil Sachs. He's a total hypocrite.**

**So, did you guys enjoy this chapter? It had a pretty sad twist in my opinion :( but don't worry, it gets better! :D by the way, in relation to the girls ages, Anna and Sonia are 12 while the other two are 13, because before they mutated, Cecilia and Emilie were already 1.**

**From what I understand, it's Christmas day in the United States and Canada, right? It was Christmas yesterday in New Zealand, so for anyone reading this on Christmas day, merry Christmas! If you've already had Christmas, I hope you had a good one :) I ate so much food that I couldn't move for two hours. Now I have to work it all off -_-**

**Reviews (*cough* and follows and favorites *cough*) are of course still welcome. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter! There's more where that came from... *evil laugh***

**Stay posted for the next chapter! =^-^=**

**Xx3xX**


	3. A Mutant's Guide to Leaving Home

**BOO!**

**... **

***Coughs nervously* So welcome to chapter 3! From this chapter forward, there will be no more Declan or Cheyenne :p well, maybe. But if they do appear, it won't be for a while.**

**Someone asked me which categories my characters fit into, e.g the leader, the hothead and vice versa... I was going to let you guys figure it out, but if you need reassurance, I'm happy to give it. Sonia is the leader, Emilie is the hothead, Cecilia is the smart one and Anna is the funny one. I've tried to make them a bit more original, though, because I don't want them to have the exact same personalities as Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey. For example Donnie is awesome at science and a total tech geek, whereas Cecilia is just good at building and repairing things. **

**Also, I was asked about voices or something. I'd actually thought about this a long time ago. If you've ever seen Victorious, Anna has a Cat Valentine-like voice (so a high-pitched Ariana Grande). Emilie sounds like Emma Stone (Amazing Spiderman, Zombieland), and Cecilia has Brittany Snow's voice (Pitch Perfect). However, I like the idea of Sonia having a voice like Angelina Jolie (a lot of stuff). Is that okay, love? ^-^ I'm sorry about that, but thank you for your requests :) (I agree on Angelina Jolie though)**

**Okay, so we've moved past the ridiculousness that was chapters one and two. Things will be a little weird in this chapter, but you know, it's fanfiction. If it's any consolation, there's a TMNT 2003-esque thing in this chapter. See if you can figure it out. Hehehe**

**Onwards, noble steed I have named fanfiction!**

**Oh yeah, and I don't own TMNT. Or Frozen. If I did... eh, you get the picture. **

_We are the children you reject and disregard_

_This aching cry comes from the bottom of our hearts_

_You can't disown us now, we're your own flesh and blood_

_And we won't disappear just because your eyes are shut_

**From Heads Unworthy- Rise Against (if you're into rock, I seriously recommend this song. I also don't own it.)**

* * *

**Xx3xX**

**4 years later... **

An officer sat in the comfort of his vehicle, enjoying a steaming cup of coffee with extra foam. It was at least 9pm, but he'd managed to find a place that was open and sold decent coffee. He reclined in the driver's seat, enjoying the peaceful night and the absence of crime from the area.

In his point of view, New Jersey was beautiful at night. It wasn't bustling with people or baking under the heat of the summer. In fact, there was a gentle breeze, which was a luxury at this time in the year.

Something flashed out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his full gaze to the rooftops on the buildings to his left. Nothing. Figuring he was just seeing things, he turned back to his coffee.

He jumped and spilled his coffee when there was another flash. Cursing, he wiped the offending liquid off of his uniform, and peered out the car window. This time he saw something. He couldn't see it properly, but from where he sat, it looked like some kind of tall, green freak. An alien? No way, he didn't believe in that bullshit.

"Aint it a little late for Halloween?" He muttered to himself. "Damn kids these days."

He was probably just seeing things.

* * *

"Don't ever do that again. If any of us are seen, we're done for."

"Lighten up, Sonia, it was just a little bit of fun! You need to learn about the meaning of fun. F is for friends who do stuff together-"

"Shut up, Anna. The sound of your voice pisses me off."

"Uh, _rude_!"

"Emilie, that was uncalled for. I think _you _need to lighten up."

"Oh, sorry if I'm not all glitter and rainbows, miss Know-It-All."

"Enough!" The other three girls stopped, and glanced up at the tallest of the sisters- Sonia. She stood at 6'2, and had a lean, sturdy build and broad shoulders, the result of years of hard training. Her eyes were more upturned and a warm brown colour but her gaze was hardened, and her lips were full. To those accepting of who she was, she would be mysterious and alluring. She was more fierce and serious compared to her sisters. "Emilie, Cecilia is right. If anyone sees us, who knows what will happen? Humanity can be cruel and deceitful, and by letting our guards down we will be making mistakes that will be almost impossible to fix. Do you understand?"

Emilie, one of the elder sisters glared back at Sonia. She was the shortest of the sisters and the most reclusive, and was gradually gaining a stocky build the more she trained. She had almond-shaped, hooded green eyes that were thickly lined with black eyeliner, and sharper lips. She had a penetrating glare, and her features portrayed her as more feisty and contemptuous. "Of course I understand. Been there, done that."

"It would be wise to watch what you say." Sonia said firmly, narrowing her eyes.

"Both of you need to watch what you say." Cecilia, the eldest of the group, stepped up to her sisters and pushed them apart. Cecilia had pretty features- wide pale blue eyes and long eyelashes, thinner lips that were coloured with a light pink lipstick- she had a softer, more kind appearance. However, her gaze was firm as she pushed Sonia and Emilie apart. "We can't afford to waste time fighting with each other- that will be the biggest mistake we make. We have to stick together."

"Sisters stick together." Anna said excitedly, wrapping an arm around Emilie's shoulder and hugging her tightly. She was youthful and enchanting, with a playful gleam in her more upturned, wide hazel eyes, and a broad smile. Her expression was that of joy, pure and sincere, which only just masked a true expression of adventurousness. Her voice was bubbly and high-pitched, and if someone were to be around her for a long time, they would end up finding her voice annoying. "Right, Em?"

Emilie just grunted.

"Stop being so cranky all the time!" Anna complained. She put on a serious expression, and put her hands on her hips. "I'm Emilie, and I hate everyone!"

Emilie lightly nudged her sister. "I do _not _sound like that."

"Actually, she sounds worse." Cecilia whispered to Anna, and they both giggled. Sonia shot them an irritable look, and they both shut up instantly. Emilie followed up with a sneer at them.

"Cut the unnecessary antics." Sonia said in a stern voice. "Right now we have one priority, and that's to get what we're looking for and return home undetected."

Cecilia tried to stifle a laugh. "You make this seem like an undercover mission or something."

"Ooh, we're spies?" Anna asked excitedly.

"If you two are going to make a joke of this," Sonia continued, "then why don't you go alone?"

A few seconds of silence passed.

"I didn't think so." Sonia reached behind her and withdrew her dual tambo, which she kept strapped to her shell. "Now get a move on, or we will be caught."

Anna, feeling the need to show off, executed a front walkover then broke into a run. She'd been teaching herself gymnastics through watching videos and gymnasts training at a gymnasium not too far from home. Her sisters were running at a steady pace, so she forged ahead and poked her tongue out at them. "Last one to the next rooftop has a soft shell!"

That made Cecilia run faster, with Emilie not far behind her. "Oh no she didn't."

Anna turned around to mock them, but Emilie darted past her and pushed her aside, sending her off balance. By the time Anna got to the next rooftop, the others were waiting for her with sly grins.

"No fair." Anna snapped. "Emilie pushed me."

Emilie shrugged. "That's what happens when you get too headstrong, soft-shell."

"Pft. I do _not_ have a soft shell."

"Bet you wouldn't say that if I hit it with a hammer."

"You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?"

"Hurry up!" Sonia and Cecilia called simultaneously, and the other two turned to see that they were already two rooftops ahead. Anna grinned at her older sister. "Race ya."

Emilie grinned. "You're on."

They chased after the others, laughing and leaping over the rooftops, ignoring Sonia's demands for them to be quiet. Eventually they reached a small rooftop where Sonia ordered them to stop, and she stood in silence, listening for something.

"What's she listening for?" Anna whispered, and Emilie shrugged.

"Shh." Sonia hissed. She stood there for a few more seconds, then gestured for Cecilia to follow. Anna and Emilie had to stay put and watch while the other two leapt off the side of the building and disappeared.

They landed silently on a platform that was shrouded by shadows, but they could just see a man nervously standing underneath the platform, his arms wrapped around himself.

"You've been holding out on us." The man jumped at hearing the voice, and glanced up to see a shadowy figure. His first instinct would be to plead, but God knew who he was really dealing with. He'd never actually seen them before in his life.

"I'm sorry." He said hurriedly, deciding to keep it short and simple. "Look, I just had a rough few months, and it was hard to come up with the cash. But I've got it here."

Sonia narrowed her eyes. "We had a deal, which was that you provide my colleague with whatever your business needs repairing, and you pay for her services each time you give her something else to repair. It has been four months and you haven't payed for the last repair. We've let you off too many times before, but this time, you'd better have the payment. Her services are not free."

"You women drive a hard bargain." The man laughed nervously, taking a thick envelope out of his jacket. "How much was it again?"

"Those who look for trouble, find it." Sonia growled. "Four grand. And if we find that you haven't fully paid your debt, we will find you."

"No need to worry, ma'am." The man said, holding up the envelope. The envelope was taken from his hands so quickly that he didn't even register it.

"I'm not worried." Sonia said darkly. "But you should be."

She gestured for Cecilia to move back to the rooftop, then glanced back at the man. "Pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

Cecilia finished counting the money, then returned it to the envelope. "It's all there Sonia. I've double-checked."

"As it should be." Sonia replied, crossing her arms. "He seems to think that he can cross us. We've been easy on him far too often."

"You guys didn't have to threaten him, though." Anna said wistfully, fiddling with her bracelets.

"Oh, and what were you going to do, huh?" Emilie asked, narrowing her eyes. "Invite him to a tea party and let him off the hook for another four months?"

"No." Anna crossed her arms defensively. "I just would have asked him nicely."

"The first time you ask is the only time you ask nicely." Sonia told her. "But when you have to ask again and again, you become firm and relentless. It's the only way you'll get what you want in the end."

"But if you're nice and understanding, doesn't that make you the better person?" Anna asked, lying back on the sofa as much as her shell would allow her.

Cecilia smiled at her younger sister. "You're right, Anna. Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you. If they do wrong, you still do it right. It's called integrity, and it's the most important principle for success."

"What she said!" Anna tried to sit up but her shell got in the way, and she fell off the sofa and started laughing. "I'm okay!"

"We never asked." Emilie snarled.

Sonia sighed in exasperation. "Anna, stop being stupid. Emilie, keep your comments to yourself. We're short on a few things and we need to organise who's going to get them."

Emilie got up and left the room. "I shotgun not doing it."

Sonia glared at her. "Emilie, sit down."

Mumbling, Emilie moved back to the sofa.

"I think it should be Anna." Sonia suggested. "She _pretended_ to be sick last time."

"Oh, God..." Cecilia groaned. She knew that Anna was the worst one to send out.

"Well, it can't be Emilie." Sonia sent a quick glance in Emilie's direction. Emilie stiffened, sat still for a moment, then got up and headed for the basement. Sonia watched her with a look of sympathy, but her gaze became serious when she turned to Anna. "Cecilia filled in for you last time, Anna, so it's your turn."

"Why don't _you_ do it?" Anna retorted.

Sonia's expression didn't change. "Grow up, Anna, you're sixteen years old. It's time you act your age."

"Yeah, well, you're not my mom."

"Wouldn't she be proud?" Cecilia asked sarcastically. "Seeing us getting along so _well_?"

"The fact that she's _gone_ doesn't help!" Anna shouted.

"Stop screaming!" Sonia raised her voice, but not enough to be yelling herself. "Cheyenne's gone, Anna, and she's not coming back. But what's in the past is meant to be left in the past, and we shouldn't dwell on it but instead move on."

Anna just glared at the ground.

"And it goes the same for what Declan did." Sonia added. "We need to move on and let time decide our pathways."

"What pathways?" Cecilia laughed. "Sonia, get real. We're mutants. There's nothing out there for us."

"There is always something." Sonia said reassuringly, but she did feel doubtful now. "Anna, tomorrow you're going to go out and get what we need. Understand?"

Anna was silent for a moment, then, "fine. Okay, now that this is over, I'm going to go and ask Emilie if she's okay."

Cecilia waited until Anna had left the room. "You know it's crazy sending her out there. She doesn't take anything seriously these days."

Sonia didn't sway from her decision. "Maybe she will, once she understands what it's really like outside of her comfort zone."

"Sonia, you know what Anna's like. She thinks the world is just one big playground. If any of us are going to get caught, it's her."

"She'll be fine." Sonia replied, seemingly not concerned. "She's not stupid enough to reveal herself, Cecilia, she knows that it won't just impact her but us as well. Even though Anna doesn't pay attention in training, she pays attention to the importance of teamwork."

She got up. "I need time alone to train. You're welcome to join later."

Cecilia waited until Sonia had left, then sighed in frustration. How could they call themselves a family when all they did was argue?

Figuring things would work out sooner or later, she went down to the basement to practice archery. It was the one thing other than inventing that could allow her to relax and let go of her worries.

* * *

"I guess I just wish Sonia would drop it about... you know." Emilie told her younger sister. She frowned, tucked her knees in so they were pressed against her plastron, and wrapped her arms around them. "I know she's pissed off about what I did, but I just want to forget about it. I've learnt my lesson, blah blah blah. What does she want from me?"

"Keep your eyes open." Anna commanded, carefully applying eyeliner to Emilie's lower eyelids. She'd been crying so it was quite badly smeared, and Emilie hated being without eyeliner. "I don't know, Em. Sonia's just super strict all the time, and she seriously needs to lighten up. After what you went through... it's not fair for her to treat you like you're totally broken and can't get up anymore. You're actually holding up really well."

Emilie almost scoffed. "Me? Holding up well? Anna, I'm a mess. I can hardly sit in the same room as you guys without leaving because I feel like a total idiot."

Anna smiled, and finished lining Emilie's lower eyelids. "You're not a total idiot. You were mislead, and that's not your fault. He didn't deserve you anyway. Now close your eyes."

Emilie sighed, but did as she was told. "Yeah, but after what that asshole Declan did to us, I can't believe I was stupid enough to let my guard down. If there's one thing that Sonia's right about, it's that society is messed up."

Anna kept concentrating on the eyeliner. "Mm."

She finished her work, sat back, and grinned. "There. Done."

Emilie smirked. "How do I look?"

"Rad."

Emilie smiled in acknowledgement. "Thanks, sis. Hey... do you ever just... wish that someone would kinda understand us? I hate the idea of having to rot in this place for the rest of my life."

"Sometimes." Anna replied honestly. "But then again I've sort of grown up surrounded by my sisters, so I'm used to it. Man, I'm so hungry right now."

"Shut up, idiot, or you'll make me hungry." Emilie laughed, lightly punching her sister's shoulder. "No, seriously. Do you ever get bored just sitting around here?"

"Of course!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Dude, I hate it here, but it's way better than being dead. I just wanna get out more often, y'know? Go places. Embrace my inner adrenaline junkie."

"Dude?" Emilie laughed. "That saying is pretty much past it's time, dumbass."

Anna shrugged. "I like it. It has a nice ring to it. Okay, Em, I'm seriously getting hungry. Can I pleeeeeease go and get something? I promise I'll be right back."

Emilie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. And can you bring me something down? I'm getting hungry too."

"Why don't we get something to eat, then watch a movie?"

"No. Not Frozen again."

Anna giggled. "Nooo... I've only seen that movie six times. I don't have to watch it again."

"Anna. No Frozen. Lame movie."

"It's not lame!"

"Is."

"Isn't."

"Is."

"Isn't!"

Emilie sighed, and pulled herself up. "Whatever. I'm getting my own food."

She glanced around, then pulled Anna into a hug. "Thanks, sis. For just being there."

Anna grinned. "You're welcome."

"Idiot."

* * *

Anna hated having to walk around in such a stupid get-up.

When she or her sisters had to go into city to buy necessary items, they had to absolutely cover themselves in clothes to disguise themselves. People still stared at them, but no one said anything. She still felt embarrassed as hell.

She was dressed in a large jacket (courtesy of Cecilia's resourcefulness) that was zipped up and covered her shell, jeans that were annoyingly tight (she seriously preferred to wear shorts, and due to her petite build, they were generally an easy buy) gloves, a scarf that almost suffocated her, a wig that was currently annoying the hell out of her and oversized sunglasses. She felt ridiculous, but the faster she got the job done, the faster she could go home and take this stuff off.

People were giving her weird looks as she tried to casually move through the bustling city. Anna despised being trapped or in tight spaces more than anything, since she was a self-proclaimed gymnast and a total adrenaline junkie.

_Just keep walking, Anna. You'll be out of here in- NO WAY! Is that Xbox selling for that much!? Nope, Celia would kill me. Just keep walking. _

So what was she supposed to get again? Oh, duh. Food. A new wrench or something because Cecilia got the last one stuck somewhere. Eyeliner.

Anna herself wanted another pair of shorts, a braided headband and beads. Sonia told her to simply get the necessities then leave, because she didn't have the time to hang around. She had been captivated with the so-called "bohemian chic" trend that teenage girls tended to have an interest in, but she usually ended up frustrated because her stupid shell stopped her from wearing certain things.

Wanting to get away from all these staring people, Anna ducked in and out of particular stores to get what she needed, and avoided the gazes of the store workers. When she was sure she had everything, she went on a detour to her favourite music store to get something for Emilie to cheer her up. Being the closest to Emilie, Anna knew most things about her. Like her favourite colour was yellow and she loved music, especially grunge and rock. So her best bet was to get her a rock CD or something.

Sweet. Now she could go home. Anna headed for an empty alleyway, looked around, and quickly dropped the bags. The jacket was getting too stuffy, so she took it off and stuffed it into one of the bags. Okay, the cap and wig had to go too. She found space in another bag for them, and sighed in relief at finally being able to breathe. Why the hell did she have to do this stuff again?

"What the fuck?"

Anna froze, and slowly turned her head to see a couple who had stopped by the alleyway and were now staring at her in horror. _Oh my God. What do I do!? Run? Maybe I can calm them down? It's worth a shot._

"Sarah, call the police." The guy told his girlfriend. "I don't know what the hell that thing is, but it's not human."

"You're calling the police?" Anna squeaked, now genuinely terrified. "No, please don't do that! They have guns, and gun wounds look like they hurt. Not like I've actually been shot before, but still... please just don't call the cops! I swear I won't hurt you!"

The dude looked almost as terrified as Anna did, and glanced at his girlfriend. "What the fuck is it, some kind of lizard-alien thing?"

"Turtle." Anna corrected him. _Just run, Anna, you're so stupid! _"And I think we totally got off on a bad foot, but I can forgive you guys for calling the cops. Can we just not go through this?"

By that time more people were coming over to investigate the commotion, and Anna found herself trapped. Her heart racing, she tried to think of a way to escape, and spotted a ladder on the building close to her. Slinging the bags over her shoulder, she ran at the ladder and leapt onto the fifth step, then pulled herself up to the rooftop. From there she didn't think- she just ran.

She got home safely, but as soon as she was inside, she dropped the bag and collapsed into a sobbing heap in Cecilia's arms. Instead of questioning her, Cecilia just comforted her. Even Emilie looked concerned. "Anna? What the hell happened to you?"

Anna figured she might aswell tell the truth. "I-I was... I was caught. I'm sorry..."

"You were _what_?" Sonia asked, shocked. She instantly became furious. "Anna, what did you do!?"

"It was way too hot to go home in that stupid jacket," Anna spluttered, "S-so I stopped somewhere where I thought no one would see me, took off the jacket, and someone saw me. I'm sorry..."

"How could you be so ignorant, Anna?" Sonia snapped. "You could have been seriously hurt, or worse, killed! Does "we must remain unseen" mean absolutely nothing to you!?"

"Back off, Sonia." Cecilia said in a testy tone, her arms still around Anna. "Anna's obviously shaken, but she's alive and unharmed, and that's all that matters. I'm sure this will all wear off soon... we just need to lay low for a while."

But it didn't wear off. Later that night there was a feature on the local news, where the reporters questioned "are we alone in the universe?" People were claiming to have seen a "lizard-freak-thing" and vice versa, but thankfully there was no actual footage of Anna. But still- people had seen her, police officers included. And people usually abided by the word of the authorities.

Anna was constantly spluttering apologies, though the others comforted her. Cecilia assured her that everything would blow over, but there was another report in the morning about earlier sightings of so-called "mutant reptiles" or of course the classic "freaks." Sonia grew increasingly alarmed at the rising danger in New Jersey, but assured her sisters that she would protect them.

What they didn't realise was that rumors often travelled fast, and the manager of the Sachs Industries branch in New Jersey had been caught in the web. He alerted Sachs, who immediately tracked down Eliza Scott, Declan's mother. She must have given them the location of Declan's old house, because later in the afternoon, employees of Sachs Industries were knocking at the door. "Mr Declan Scott? My name is Greg Carmichael, manager of New Jersey's branch of Sachs Industries. I'm here to discuss an interference in the recent Project Renaissance relaunch. I've been informed that you have knowledge of the test subjects."

The girls huddled in the basement, waiting for the knocking to stop. Cecilia looked like she'd definitely changed her mind about the whole 'this will all blow over' thing. "This isn't good."

"Testify, sister." Emilie said sarcastically.

"This isn't a joking matter." Sonia hissed. "We've reached a dead end, and there's absolutely no way we can evade the situation. Eventually he'll stop knocking, but he'll be back. And now that the city suspects there are mutants around, we won't be able to continue living the way we have been. Someone is looking for us, and I'm confident it's the man who landed us in this state in the first place."

Emilie smiled dryly. "No shit, Sherlock."

Anna giggled weakly, and Sonia glared in Emilie's direction. "As I said, this is _not a joking matter_."

"Okay, sorry. At least it cheered Anna up."

"So what are you implying we do?" Cecilia asked, narrowing her eyes. "We can't exactly live in the basement for the rest of our lives. We'd eventually starve."

Emilie looked disgusted. "To be honest, I'd rather die."

Anna's eyes widened. "I don't wanna die!"

Sonia sighed. "We're not going to die."

"Oh yeah, boss, so do you have a plan all lined up?" Cecilia's voice was rising, which wasn't exactly a good thing. She rarely raised her voice. "Because as far as I'm concerned, you're not really doing that great a job at playing leader. If you were any good at it, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"It's Anna who got us into this mess!"

"Well you're the one who sent her out there! If I was in charge, I wouldn't have sent her out there in the first place!"

Sonia narrowed her eyes. "Now is not a time to challenge my authority, Cecilia. There are people out there who know of our existence, and the greatest threat right now is the man at the front door."

As she spoke there was another knock, louder this time. An idea sparked in Sonia's head and she got up, and stood with her head held high. "We're leaving."

The others looked at her for a moment, shell-shocked. Cecilia stared at her younger sister. "Wait, what?"

"I said, 'we're leaving.'" Sonia repeated. "I don't know where we'll go, but we'll let the pathways ahead of us decide."

Emilie put up her hand. "Um, sorry to ask, but have you even figured out an escape route? We can't exactly walk out of this place."

Sonia nodded curtly. "Yes, I have. Now find whatever you believe is crucial or important to take with us, because we will not be returning. Obviously sustenance is the most important thing we need."

The other three looked at each other for a moment, then darted off to find their most important possessions. Emilie only really valued her eyeliner, her music collection and her round black industrial goggles, whereas Cecilia and Anna valued everything from garments and perfume to movies and Anna's jewellery collection. Cecilia forgot about her prized bow and arrows and rushed upstairs in a panic to retrieve them, while Sonia simply added a few books and her training regime. They packed everything into Cheyenne's old duffle bag that Emilie found in the closet, and exited the house quietly around the back.

"So." Cecilia whispered to Sonia, walking silently beside her. "Where's this escape route of yours?"

"Several metres up the road." Sonia replied. "And if you all want to get out of here, then I suggest you keep quiet and do as I say."

"I don't like this." Emilie muttered, nudging Anna.

"It's going to get worse." Sonia murmured. She stopped to look around, then gestured to something. "This is how we're getting out of here."

Cecilia came to a halt, and stared down with her mouth open. "You can't be serious."

"Gross..." Anna whined.

Emilie shrugged. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

"That's the spirit." Sonia said dryly. "Cecilia, Anna, we must stick together. I'm not leaving any of you behind, but this is our safest option to leave the city. Yes, it's not ideal, but it means we actually have a way out of this situation. So are you going to co-operate or not?"

Cecilia was silent for a moment, then she sighed reluctantly. "I suppose so."

Anna nodded, and managed a smile. "Mhm."

"Good." Sonia smiled in relief, and lifted the sewer lid. "So. Who would like to volunteer to go first?"

Cecilia grinned. "Well, you're the leader, aren't you?"

Sonia shrugged to loosen her shoulders. "Alright then."

With no complaints, she climbed down the ladder, and called up to them. "Next person forward."

Emilie pushed Anna forward. "Go on, unless you're a wimp."

Anna smiled playfully. "Ha, no way."

She approached the sewer, and easily climbed down. Emilie swore she heard Anna almost choking from the smell of the sewers.

"Good thing I brought perfume!" She coughed.

Cecilia groaned. "This is going to be a long and uneventful journey."

* * *

**Xx3xX**

**Okay, so that chapter was super long, but I wanted to wrap their time in New Jersey up as soon as possible. So if you've managed to stay with me the whole time, well done! I'm impressed, and grateful :)**

**So yay, the girls are leaving New Jersey! :D for those who want the boys to appear already, THEY'RE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! YAY TIMES INFINITY! **

**(^.O.)^**

**I'm sorry if everything's been a little weird. It shall get better :) just, uh... believe in Lightning *throws glitter***

**So, what did you guys think? Questions, reviews, favourites, follows? ^-^ I'm all ears.**

**Stay posted for the next chapter where LEO, RAPH, DONNIE AND MIKEY WILL FINALLY APPEAR :DDDDD**


	4. Priorities, Cheese and the Unexpected

**Kia Ora my amazing readers!**

**Sorry this chapter was kinda late, guys, I've just had a pretty full on week. It was the 22nd anniversary of my uncle's passing a few days ago, and since most of my family live in Australia, I visited the site of his death for them. It kinda had an impact, I guess. **

**This chapter was a struggle to write. I've been a fan of TMNT long enough to know the characters and their personalities, but I was nervous that I'd make them OOC. I don't think I have... but don't hesitate to let me know if you think I haven't written the characters that well or something :)**

**To those who have followed, favourited and reviewed... thank you so much for your support. I'm not very confident in my ability to write, and it makes me smile when people tell me that they enjoy what I'm writing. To those who are even just reading, thank you for taking the time to do so. I really appreciate it, especially after everything that's happening. People are starting to become quite self-conscious, people are getting hurt... no one should have to feel bad about who they are, but rather believe in themselves. You're all amazing in your own unique ways :) **

**You, dear readers, whoever you are, matter. So if you ever feel down, please remember to love yourself, and take care this year. I hope it's a good one for you :)**

**P.S: I don't own TMNT. I'm just an insignificant insect who is a fan. ^-^**

* * *

**Somewhere in New York...**

"Carmichael. What's the situation?"

"I have attempted to speak with Declan Scott, sir. It appears he no longer occupies this residence."

Sachs immediately sat up, enraged. "Repeat that to me, Carmichael. It appears you've made a mistake."

"... Declan Scott no longer occupies this residence."

"You idiot!" Sachs barked. "Of course he doesn't! Declan is an employee of my main branch in New York, and he has informed me of the likely location of the test subjects. It is not Declan you're searching for, it is the _test subjects_! Do you understand? Because I'm struggling to understand which part of your orders you misheard!"

"Sir, your directive was to search for Declan Scott and interrogate him on his knowledge of the project relaunch. The first order was to locate Eliza Scott and ask her for the location of Declan Scott."

Sachs closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply through his nose. "Then you must have completely misheard. Your job was to interrogate Eliza Scott for the project records, then to locate and capture the test subjects."

"So where did Declan Scott come into this?"

"I gave you with information on Mr Scott's previous residence, which was provided by Mr Scott himself. You assured me that you understood exactly what your directive was."

"And it was to what, I'm sorry?"

"That's it." Sachs growled, clutching the phone so tight the plastic almost buckled. "You're fired."

"You're _firing_ me!? Sir, I-"

"You have twelve hours to clear your office and leave your position. It's been a pleasant run, Mr Carmichael, but I'm afraid your work has been of unsatisfactory standards. Good riddance."

With that last comment he slammed down the phone, and banged his fist on the armrest of his chair. Was it really that easy to mess up on such a simple order? He couldn't comprehend it for the life of him. All Carmichael was required to do was locate and capture the specimens, which should have been a quick and painless task. But now he'd lost the manager of his company's New Jersey branch, and the mutants could be anywhere in the city. He doubted they'd leave New Jersey due to territorial reasons.

It was just what he needed- an incident similar to last year's. Dr. O'Neil's daughter had informed him of the mutant vigilantes that were derailing the Foot Clan attacks around New York, and it immediately registered that they were the result of Project Renaissance. As his master had proposed the idea of "curing" New York, Sachs created Project Renaissance to fulfil his master's wishes. At the same time, Sachs was on a desperate mission for funding to build a specific set of armour for his master.

Project Renaissance seemed to be a success, and soon scientists from different companies throughout the company were funding the project. However, the sudden success didn't last long- Dr. O'Neil set fire to the laboratory and destroyed the mutagen and any notes he could find. The funding that Sachs was going to use to build his master's armour was used to establish a project relaunch with another set of test subjects, and the project was made possible because Dr. O'Neil destroyed all but a small notepad on formula testing. Sachs had continuously experimented for almost a year to recreate the mutagen, and he was positive that he'd manufactured a perfect replica.

The project relaunch was also tampered with, though the offender was not caught, and the test subjects were supposedly set free. Sachs was desperate to please his master, but due to failure with both projects, it seemed he had no way of acquiring a working mutagen or continuing the project for building his master's armour.

That was where Declan Scott came in. Twelve years after the project relaunch disaster, Mr Scott began sending in extraordinary machinery of his own invention which was needed in the construction of the armour. Requiring more machinery, Sachs offered a job to Mr Scott, and he continued to invent the required parts. The machinery proved useful when two years later, his master had an impenetrable set of armour.

Due to the unintended assistance of Dr O'Neil's daughter, Sachs managed to capture the mutants of Project Renaissance in a final attempt to extract the mutagen from their blood, but yet again he faced failure. His master was supposedly neutralized and the release of the toxin into the city was prevented, which caused disturbance in the order of the Foot Clan. Their successor, Karai, was now the current leader, though Sachs had confidence that she'd simply be a stand-in for their master during his recovery.

So now the Project Renaissance relaunch test subjects had become victim to the mutagen, and were now supposedly running rampant in New Jersey. If Sachs managed to capture them, he could have another chance to extract the mutagen to fulfil his master's propositions of a city made free from continuous poisoning. Mr Scott was working hard in the meantime to build machinery to assist in the recovery process.

What Sachs didn't know was what the hell was he going to do to avenge his master? Sachs did want to fulfil his wishes, but he also wanted to be a little more original and use his own power-gaining ideas. Come on, it was 2015. It was time to get a little more creative.

He'd think about that later. Right now he needed those project relaunch test subjects. Maybe then he could consider his options. But he didn't exactly have a way of capturing them, since he'd just fired the only employee who could do it.

There was only one option. After his master's defeat, Sachs hadn't exactly severed the ties to the Foot Clan. And Karai, being one of honour was hopeful for their master's recovery, but if Sachs' plans had absolutely nothing to do with it, she would show no interest. So bribery was the best option.

She sends her soldiers out to capture the test subjects, Sachs provides the machinery to speed the recovery process, everyone's happy.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment from his own ideas, Sachs allowed himself to sit back in his chair and relax. "If you want something, you have to acquire it yourself."

* * *

It was unclear as to how long they had been walking, but it seemed to be dragging on forever.

Sonia was typically level-headed when they'd first entered the sewers, but she became less so the further they ran. She and Emilie were generally quite resilient and could go for miles without tiring, but at this point even Emilie was on the borderline of fatigue. Anna, being reasonably flexible, could withstand the strenuous exercise, but her limits were much less than that of her sisters- she tended to use up a lot energy in a small amount of time. Cecilia, on the other hand, hadn't adapted well to travelling long distances, so often complained that her legs were aching or that she was tired.

"Sonia, let's be realistic here." She said breathlessly. "We've been travelling for the best part of five hours, and so far we've only stopped twice. I get it, there's obviously somebody searching for us and we're not safe if we're within a twenty foot radius of New Jersey, but I highly doubt we're anywhere near it anymore. So... could we _please_ take another break?"

"I'm hungry." Anna whined.

"I think the same goes for all of us." Cecilia growled. "Well, Sonia? Can we stop and take five, or is that too much for you?"

Sonia huffed in annoyance, and glowered at her older sister. "Five minutes, and then we continue."

Cecilia sighed in relief, and leaned against the tunnel wall. "Thank you. I seriously couldn't take any more."

Anna pulled a face. "I'm starving. Do we have anything vegetarian?"

Emilie, who'd been carrying the bag for most of the journey, sighed and dumped it on the ground. "Go ahead and take a look, bunny hugger."

Anna poked her tongue out, and crouched down to check through the bag. Her face fell. "There's no food in here. Like, none at all."

Sonia's eyes widened. "What!?"

Anna stared up at her sisters with a look of panic. "There's no food. GUYS, WE'RE GONNA STARVE!"

Emilie groaned and rolled her eyes. "For fuck's sake, Anna. Be quiet."

"Don't tell her to shut up, Emilie, it's your fault we're in this situation!" Cecilia barked. "You were supposed to assure we had sustenance, and obviously you neglected to do that! Now what the hell are we going to do!?"

Emilie shrugged. "Oops. Guess we'll just have to starve to death."

"If there is one thing we're not going to do, it's starve." Sonia said reassuringly. "But arguing certainly isn't going to get us anywhere. If anything, I think our best option is to exit the next manhole, and we'll think of something from there."

Emilie stifled a laugh. "She said manhole."

Ignoring that comment, Cecilia frowned. "Like what? Order takeout or something and knock out the delivery guy?"

Sonia seemed to consider it for a moment. "If we must."

"This is just getting more and more ridiculous by the second." Cecilia sighed. She paused, and looked around. "Wait, where's Anna?"

Emilie closed her eyes. "Shit, she's stupid."

A voice echoed off the tunnel walls, coming from directly ahead of them. "I'm not stupid!"

"You had us worried." Cecilia called. "Where are you?"

"Um... keep walking, losers."

"Are you kidding? We've only just stopped for a break!"

"Yeah, well, maybe we won't have to walk anymore. Come check this out!"

Intrigued, Sonia kept walking. Emilie and Cecilia shared a look of apprehension, but followed anyway. Anna was standing on the rungs of a ladder, and only half of her was visible. She'd found a manhole, but she was doing the one thing Sonia would have begged her not to do- making a scene.

"Anna, what the hell are you doing?" Emilie asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Get down from there before you're seen!" Cecilia hissed.

"No way!" Anna cried, her high-pitched voice bouncing off the tunnel walls. "Guys, it's like... a whole new world up here! This is so amazing!"

Cecilia moved towards the ladder. "Anna, don't make me-"

Sonia put out a hand to stop her. "Cecilia, be quiet for a moment. Anna, do you have any idea where we are?"

"Hold on!" Anna called. A few seconds of silence passed, then her voice floated back down again. "I think we're in New York!"

"New York?" Sonia repeated, taken aback. "Can you see anybody?"

"No, it's night-time and I think we're in an alleyway."

"Then how do you know we're in New York?"

"Because I can just see all these lights and pretty colours and buildings. I think it's New York anyway."

Sonia glanced at her sisters for reassurance. Cecilia just smirked. "You're the leader."

"Can we just get out of here?" Emilie asked, crossing her arms.

Instead of responding, Sonia moved to the ladder, and told Anna to get out of her way. As soon as Sonia had disappeared out of sight, Emilie climbed up the ladder, then a reluctant Cecilia. Worried that the bubbly and overexcited Anna would give them away, Sonia ordered them to advance to the nearest rooftop, which also gave them the opportunity to examine their surroundings.

"According to my geographical knowledge," Cecilia informed them, "we are definitely in New York City."

"I told you!" Anna exclaimed, punching the air in triumph. "But you guys didn't believe me, did you? Well, I was right!"

"We get it, dumbass." Emilie snapped. "Stop talking before I deck you."

"Why do you have to be so mean?"

"Because you're annoying. Now _shut up_."

"I would appreciate," Sonia growled, "that we cut the arguing for at least one night. That's all I ask- one night."

Muttering, Anna and Emilie turned away from each other. Sonia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank you. Now, considering we don't know our way around New York City, I suggest we tread carefully and make our way across the rooftops to get a better idea of where we are. Would you all agree?"

Cecilia just waved her off. "I don't make the rules, nor are my opinions generally considered. So really that's a rhetorical question that you have to answer for yourself."

"Would you like to drag this out into a debate, Cecilia? Because discussing who has the better leadership skills is not in the best interest of the group."

"Pft, more like not in the best interest of yourself."

"It would be wise not to push me."

"What are you going to do, huh? Beat me up until I concede to subjugation? Because I don't think you'll go that far."

"_Stop it_!" Anna snapped. "You always fight about this and I don't like it! Why can't you both be leaders so you don't have to fight anymore? Just give each other a hug and say you're sorry!"

Emilie sighed and shook her head. "Really, Anna?"

"Yeah, really." Anna retorted. She turned away for a moment, and something in the distance captured her attention. "What's that?"

Cecilia followed her younger sister's gaze. "It's a port, Anna. What did you think it was?"

"I thought that maybe Christmas had come early and that Santa was leaving all the presents over there."

"You're... you're joking, right?"

Anna crossed her arms defensively. "No! I don't blame him for putting the presents there. There must be a lot of kids in New York."

"And wow, they just added another one." Emilie said dryly.

Anna giggled awkwardly, unsure as to whether it was a joke or not. "I think we should go check it out."

Sonia eyed her blankly. "No."

Anna shrugged. "I don't care, I'm going anyway. Come on, Em!"

"You're on your own, bubbles."

Anna had disappeared halfway through Emilie's sentence, leaving the words lingering meaninglessly. Unimpressed, Emilie turned back to the others. "Oh well, it's her funeral. Rest in pieces, Anna. You were so young and stupid."

"For God's sake, Emilie." Cecilia groaned. "That's why you should have stopped her. You know how reckless she is."

"Well, if you have any kind of hope for her, she'll eventually get lost and start calling out to us. Since her voice is so loud and irritating, we'll hear her, drag her to wherever we're supposed to be going, and everything will be fine."

Sonia practically glowered. "Because you let her go, you'll be the one to search for her. If all of us go, it will likely attract attention. So we will wait here until you return safely with Anna."

"Get over yourself. I'm not doing that."

Cecilia gave her sister a more gentle look. "Emilie, she's your sister. Sisters stick together. Now go and find Anna."

All they had was each other, blah blah blah... she'd heard it enough times already. "Alright, I get it. Fine. But if any of you touch that eyeliner, I'll bury you six feet underground."

_I'm coming to find you, idiot. Don't do anything stupid._

* * *

"Hey, guys. Think I can hijack that boat? It'll be my personal party cruise. 'Hey, ladies... wanna take a ride on Mikey's bitchin' cruise liner? It's free of charge...'"

"Like anyone's gonna party with a mutant turtle, idiot."

"Come on, bro, you know the chicks will be lining up to get down with the one and only Miche-"

"He ain't gonna listen to me. Someone else tell him he's confused."

"You're just jealous that I'm the one with the girlfriend."

"What _'_girlfriend'?"

"The hogosha, man!"

"I'll hogo-slap you in a second if you don't shut up."

The eldest of the turtles glanced back at them, narrowing his eyes. "Shhh."

"Don't fucking 'shh' me-"

"Raphael, when we're on surveillance, we're supposed to be silent. You're far from it, so could you at least keep your voice down?"

"Guys, I'm picking up minimal activity somewhere in this area. And I mean besides us."

"Is it the pizza guy? About time! He's like five minutes late! That's five bucks he's no longer getting."

"Hold on, Mikey. Donnie, can you figure out who- or what- it is?"

"It's too difficult to tell, but I wouldn't go getting my hopes up. I'd assume it's just a dockworker."

"Or the pizza guy." Michelangelo jumped off the shipping crate he'd been sitting on for the past twenty minutes, landing beside Leonardo. "Man, I'm starving. I'm gonna go see if that guy's here yet. Frankenmikey needs pizza before he starts decomposing."

"Mikey, can't you just wait a little longer-"

"Chill, dude, I'm totally responsible." The youngest of the turtles grinned, completely at ease. "Ish."

He sidled between the shipping crates, with absolutely no idea what he was doing. Well, you never really thought on an empty stomach. You either had to suck it up, or you attempted to kill whoever kept you waiting for so long. Mikey wasn't really a killing sort of guy, he was more of the unintentionally-creepy-threatening type. So the pizza guy would probably live for another day.

Pulling himself up onto another shipping crate, he noticed a shady-looking guy talking with one of the few dockworkers in the area. Looking closer, he realised that the shady guy was wearing the same uniform as- no way. It couldn't be. Weren't they off the radar by now? If that Shredder dude was dead, then why was the Foot Clan still around? Shredder was like, the foot or something, and the clan were the toes. Without the foot the toes couldn't move or anything. So without Shredder, the Foot Clan were pretty much useless, or so he thought. This was some real philosophical shit.

Mikey loved gossip and the thrill of dangerous situations, so he jumped to the next shipping crate to listen in. The sea breeze was astringent, rolling in like harsh whispers, as if to tell him he was making a stupid decision. It almost reminded him of Leo. Eh, what the hell. It wasn't like there was anything else exciting going on besides a re-run of _Friends_.

The Foot soldiers were speaking in hushed tones so Mikey couldn't exactly hear what they were saying. The portworker was putting up an argument so he was loud enough to hear.

"Look, I'm tellin' ya, you aint permitted to enter any of the container terminals without authorization. And the only way you can get authorization is to be an employee. I'm sorry 'bout that."

"I am not asking for permission; I am telling you to step aside."

"No can do, pal, you aint allowed further than where I'm standing. I'm callin' the police."

The Foot soldier began to advance. "That is not a wise choice."

One by one, more Foot soldiers emerged from the concealed areas behind the shipping crates, following their comrade with light feet as a means of intimidation. The worker held up his clipboard as a rather pitiful shield, and backed away until he was pressed against the cool ribbed metal of a shipping crate. Beyond terrified, he dropped to his knees with his hands raised in defence.

"Please, don't hurt me." He pleaded, tears beading in the corners of his eyes. The poor dude was defenceless. "I'm just doin' my job. Please, man, you don't wanna do this."

The nearest Foot soldier faltered, moved a hand to his belt, and withdrew a single-edged blade. "Your pleas are futile."

Okay, now would definitely be a time to kick ass. As Mikey prepared to intervene, he caught sight of an indistinct shape darting into the combat zone, with such fluid movement that it almost went over his head. A smudge of green blurred past his line of vision, and a Foot soldier made a strangled noise almost in synchronization. Great, one of the guys was stealing his thunder again. Probably Raph. He never got to have his own fun anymore. Scowling, Mikey dropped off the side of the crate, knocking over a Foot soldier. "Not cool, dude, I was totally about to wipe the floor with these guys. Oh well, I can forgive you as long as you left some for me."

Ignoring his ally and instead focusing on his own fight, Mikey turned to the nearest two Foot soldiers. Not a challenge in the slightest. Grasping the wooden handles of his nunchaku, he turned to elbow one opponent in the face, then released his grip enough to let the chain unfold and whirl in a repetitive 360. His fingers moved with precision and dexterity as he swung his weapons at the soldier running for him, earning the soldier a hard _thwack _to the temple. He dropped to the ground, comatose, allowing Mikey to give his full attention to the next one. He ducked as the vindictive soldier swung his leg up in a roundhouse kick, and swerved to the side as his opponent lunged, now seething.

"Hey, no need to be rude. I'm sorry about your friend, alright? It's nothing personal."

The Foot soldier didn't respond, but rather attempted to lunge again.

"Guess sorry doesn't cut it, huh? Okay, you've got five seconds to walk away and pretend this never happened. Five... four... three... two... one and a half... one... one..."

Instead of finishing the countdown, Mikey simultaneously swung the hardwood sticks of his nunchaku the into his opponent's face, hitting him hard enough to knock him to the ground. Figuring he should make his final move as epic as possible, he ran at the doomed, only conscious Foot soldier, and launched a kick to his stomach. As soon as Mikey's foot connected with his adversary's abdomen, the guy was out cold. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, Mikey positively radiated energy. Man, all it took was a good work-out to make him feel alive.

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. You want a piece of me, huh? Better watch yo' step, bro, cause you gonna get your ass kicked. No one messes with the shadow."

He paused from his triumph to confront whichever brother had aided him in the fight, too full of pride to comprehend what he was doing. "Bro, did you see my sick moves? Course you didn't. I'm transparent... so fast you can't even see me."

Whoever he was talking to whipped around, and it took him a matter of seconds to realise it wasn't any of his brothers. In fact, he didn't even register anything until they opened their mouth and screamed.

As an immediate reaction, Mikey screamed back. The stranger screamed again, their voice high pitched, and lashed out at Mikey. Their hand connected with his face, leaving a red-hot stinging sensation, and he stumbled. He raised his hand to the throbbing mark on his face, stunned. Okay, so he would have sworn it was Raph if the stranger didn't scream like a girl.

"Whoa!" He cried. "Dude, what was _that _for!?"

"I'm sorry!" A feminine, high-pitched voice responded. "I-I didn't mean to hit you, it's just that you came out of nowhere and scared the heck out of me. I'm totally sorry! Are you okay?"

Once the fogginess left his eyes and his vision came back, Mikey looked up to see who was talking to. His jaw fell slack, and his eyes swept over the stranger before him. No way. This couldn't be happening. Like, it shouldn't be happening. At all.

He'd seen a few girls in his life, but nothing had prepared him for this. Looking back at him was no human girl. She had scaly green skin, was a couple of inches shorter than him, and was sporting a shell.

And then reality hit that there was a _female_ mutant turtle standing in front of him. _No way. No way no way no way. It's not possible. Right? _

She looked even more shell-shocked than he did. "W-what the hell!? Um, are you- is this- are we- no way."

Mikey just stared at her. "That's what I was thinking."

The girl just stared back, her mouth open. "Are you..."

"A turtle?"

"... yeah."

"Not really your average turtle, but yep."

Her eyes widened. "... me too."

"Dude."

"Did you just say dude?"

"Well, you're like more of a 'dudette', so..."

"Dudette? I love it! It sounds so... rad."

He was grinning at this point. "Hey, you speak my language!"

"I do?"

"Yeah, slang is like my main language." Mikey laughed. He looked her up and down again, taking in her features. Hazel eyes, pretty features, petite figure- _Ooh, Mikey, she's cute. _"The name's Michelangelo, but pretty girls like you can call me Mikey or the Shadow."

She stared at him for a moment, eyes wide, and suddenly smiled. "The Shadow? Seriously?"

"I know. Awesome, right? The ladies go crazy for it."

"Eh... I prefer Mikey." She giggled. "No offence. I'm Anna."

"Has anyone ever called you 'angel'?"

"No... why?"

"Seriously? Just being honest, angelcakes, it fits."

Anna grinned. "That was super cheesy."

"Cheese... oh man! I totally forgot about the pizza guy!" Mikey exclaimed. "Raph's probably eaten all of the pizza by now!"

Anna looked confused. "Raph?"

"Oh yeah, he's my brother." Mikey said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He thinks he's cooler than me, but..."

"But he knows he aint stupid enough to say it to Raphael's face." Mikey turned towards the source of the voice, but had his face pushed back. "Right, numb-nuts?"

"Love you too, bro." Mikey replied, his voice muffled by his brother's hand.

"Raph, cut it out." Leonardo sighed, lightly pushing his brother's shoulder. He glanced at Mikey. "Mikey, don't run off like that again. We all stick together."

"Looks like Leo won hide and seek. Good job, bro! How did you find me?"

"We heard a girly scream and assuming it was you, we followed it." Donatello said matter-of-factly.

Raphael smirked. "The nerd made a funny. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Nah, man, that wasn't me, it was my new homegirl." Mikey explained. "Anna, these are my bros. Bros, this is Anna. _She's one of ussss_."

Even with four intimidating guys in front of her, Anna seemed to be perfectly fine, besides being shocked at the fact that there were other mutants in the world. "... whoa."

Donatello studied Anna through his high-tech goggles, seemingly trying to figure out if she was indeed a mutant. Raphael looked her up and down in disbelief, then grunted as if he couldn't care less. Leonardo stepped forward, calm but curious, then simply gave a polite nod of his head.

"I don't believe it." Donatello removed his goggles and adjusted his glasses, his incredulous gaze fixed on Anna. "As she looks to be in her adolescent years, I can safely say that it's impossible that she's also a mutant. According to my resources, we were the only test subjects to be administered with the mutagen, and even after it was destroyed there is no way it could be manufactured again unless it was a non-functioning prototype."

Raphael grunted again, and crossed his arms. "Whatever the hell he said. I ain't buyin' it."

Leonardo gave them both a testy look, before turning back to a bemused Anna. "Hello, miss. I'm Leonardo. Please forgive my comrades, they've obviously forgotten what it means to have integrity."

"Yeah." Mikey droned. "Rude."

Anna cleared her throat. "Uh... it's okay. My sister's always like that, so it's no big deal."

"You have a sister?" Mikey asked incredulously, taken aback. "Is she hot?"

That earned an elbow to his side from Leo. The look Anna gave him indicated that he was probably the first person to ever ask her that. She opened her mouth to reply, but faltered when someone called her name. "Anna? Where the hell are you? I swear I'm going to floor you as soon as I see your stupid face."

Anna bit her lip, and glanced around nervously. "Oookay, I should go now. It's not that I don't want to talk to you guys, because it's not like that at all. It's just that when my sister says stuff like that... she really means it. Um... see ya round, I guess?"

"Of course, babe." Mikey took Anna's hand, and lightly kissed it. _Dude, you're so _smooth!_ You've totally got this. "_I'm available whenever you need me. Just ask and you shall receive."

His brothers groaned in exasperation. Not expecting something like that, Anna looked from her hand back to her new friend and beamed, a spirited gleam in her eyes. Her name was called again, more impatiently this time, and she withdrew her hand and disappeared into the shadows. Mikey stared after her, dumbstruck.

"Did you see that?" He asked, his eyes lighting up in excitement. "She's so into me!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Actually, Mikey, you seemed to be making her feel somewhat awkward." Donnie interjected. "So I'm gonna agree with Leo."

"You guys are just jealous since I'm the one all the ladies want." Mikey said triumphantly. He hesitated, realising something, and his eyes widened. "Hold up! She just took off and I didn't even ask her where she lived or for a number or anything..."

"I highly doubt she has a phone."

"But it doesn't hurt to ask. Not trying to be creepy or anything, but how am I gonna see my homegirl again?" He paused again, then chased after Anna. "Come back, angel, I need your digits so I can hit you up sometime! No creepiness intended!"

Silence drifted past them like a mild summer breeze, temporarily passing and leaving reality burning into the surrounding atmosphere. There were other mutants besides them. Meeting another mutant had shocked Leonardo to a degree, but the more he thought about it, the less surprised he was. Who was to say that there weren't any others like them? He wasn't going to be close-minded about it, but he certainly wasn't going to trust the situation nor this 'Anna'. Considering the purpose for their own creation, who wasn't to say that this other mutant was being used for the same reasons? None of them seemed to know the answer. They just stood there, rendered speechless.

Donatello was the first one to speak. "What just happened?"

"Don't know, don't care." Raphael growled. "But I'm gonna kick Mikey's ass when I see him. I'm starvin' and he's keeping me waiting."

Leonardo lightly pushed his brother's shoulder. "Hey. Remember that thing sensei keeps telling you? Patience is the key which solves all problems. So we find Mikey, get the answers we need, then we eat. Family above everything else."

"I still don't understand." Donatello maundered. "A mutation at that frequency can of course only originate from the specific mutagen that was tested on us. There is no way that another life-form could experience that mutation unless the same mutagen was used on them."

Leonardo didn't understand what the big deal was. "Then the same mutagen had to be used."

"To manufacture a perfect replica would take years."

So that was true, but if they could do it once, surely they could do it again. It was something that Leo wanted to think about later rather than now, as his youngest brother had just left with no indication of where he was going- besides the fact that he was chasing after Anna. Leo didn't want anything happening to Mikey, and he had so many questions that were just burning on the tip of his tongue, so he indicated for his brothers to follow and ran after Mikey.

Family was first priority, answers were second.

* * *

**Yay! The guys are officially in the story! (^.o.)^ even I was breathing a sigh of relief. But just to warn you guys, I'm not going to make the characters fall in love straight away. **

**Now, to the guest who's been adorable by suggesting things, I'm sure I could fit that song in at some point :) it's quite catchy, and the lyrics work well, so I'll use it some time. To Nightwing (by the way, I love your choice of an alias, Nightwing is one of my favourite DC characters), I love Gorillaz. My favourite album is actually "Gorillaz."**

**Don't ever think you'll be disturbing me by writing lots of stuff in your reviews, I love talking to people and hearing suggestions and thoughts. Also, if you're on Tumblr, my name on there is XxoxLightningxxoX (go figure) and I follow people back. **

**I've used up my 7000 words for the day, so I'd better stop here. What did you guys think of the chapter? Thoughts, likes, dislikes? **


	5. Raphael's Unfortunate New Nickname

**ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER AHEAD! I dunno how it got so long, I guess I just wrote to my heart's content then realised how long it was. Oops.**

**Sorry about that! ^-^**

**Honestly, I'm still gushing over the adorable reviews. YOU guys are amazing. Your support helps me to keep writing this fanfiction, and for that I'm grateful. You're all so sweet :') *sniffles***

**By the way, Nightwing, I'm also a Marvel fan. My favourite movie of all time is GOTG, and my favourite Marvel character is Tony Stark. He's like me except a genius playboy billionare philanthropist. So we basically just share a similar sense of humour. ****Okay, time to disclaim stuff. *Sobs* XxoxLightningxxoX who made that username when she was 13 doesn't own TMNT. **

_But I'll take my time anywhere_  
_Free to speak my mind anywhere_  
_ And I'll redefine anywhere_  
_ Anywhere I roam, where I lay my head is home_

_And the earth becomes my throne_  
_ I adapt to the unknown, under wandering stars I've grown_  
_ By myself but not alone, I ask no one_

**Wherever I May Roam- Metallica (I don't own that song)**

* * *

**Xx3xX**

Emilie took her time while making her way to the port, did a quick search for Anna, then gave up. She knew her younger sister was in the area, so she just let her wander around staring at the shipping crates. It at least gave Emilie some solitude, which she often depended on. It allowed her to heal in her own time. She still wasn't over... nevermind. Not wanting to think about it any further, she mentally warned the memory to 'fuck off.'

She waited another fifteen minutes, then started calling out to her younger sister. She wasn't having any of this shit tonight, especially after everything that had just happened. They'd left the only home they'd ever known to arrive in a place they were unfamiliar with, and it scared her. Sonia was confident once they started their journey, and now it was over, their only priority was to find somewhere to reside.

How the hell were they supposed to do that when they had absolutely no idea where they were? Sure, New York was the name of the place provided as a means of reassurance, but to place your feet on solid ground you had to explore the dimensions above first. You had to understand your surroundings and become comfortable with them to really know where you were.

After a few minutes of repeating Anna's name, she made her way around a few shipping crates to stand at Emilie's side before she took off again. Emilie noticed her younger sister was running at a quicker pace than normal, and she wore an expression of what Emilie speculated to be shock or mortification.

"Anna?" She asked, a slight trace of concern in her voice. "What's wrong with you?"

Anna shook her head, though her expression didn't change. "You're not gonna believe what just happened. It's like... the most awesome thing ever."

"Well? Are you going to tell me or not?"

Anna just waved her off, so Emilie assumed she wanted to wait until she could tell the others. They took a shortcut to access the rooftops in concealment, then made their way back to the now-quite-frustrated Sonia and Cecilia. The moment Anna stepped foot on that particular rooftop, Sonia's "great lecture" began. Generally she carried on for quite a while, but this time she lost the opportunity to do so halfway through.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if someone caught you? New York is much larger in comparison to New Jersey, and we've never been here before. You could have been killed, you could have compromised the team... are you listening?"

"... I guess. But Sonia-"

"You guess? You think this is all a joke? Well you need to grow up, Anna, because it's not a joke. The way you're acting is immature, risking your life just for the thrill of it. We're not in New Jersey anymore, we're somewhere much bigger, which means more danger. I- we- can't lose you."

"I'm sorry, okay? It was just a bit of fun. And you won't believe-"

Sonia almost lost her cool at that. "Exactly, it's all fun to you! Well it's certainly not fun when you end up dead and we have to live with the fact that we've lost a sister!"

Stunned, Anna took a step back. Sonia was visibly furious with her broad shoulders tense and the taut muscles of her arms straining under her skin. Anna opened her mouth to reply, but was cut short when she heard Mikey's voice.

At least, she was sure she heard it. "Yo, angelcakes! You totally ditched me back there! And I thought we were hitting it o- whoa. You never told me you had _three _friends."

Bubbling with excitement, Anna turned away from Sonia to greet her new friend. "Mikey! What are you doing here?"

Emilie's jaw fell slack. "Who the _hell _is that!?"

Alarmed, Cecilia rose her bow to her shoulder in an impressively fluid motion, and pulled back the arrow. The point hovered dangerously, it's full focus on the stranger. Sonia stood in a particular stance, more than ready to attack if necessary.

"Wait, don't hurt him!" Anna exclaimed, moving to stand in front of her friend. "He's... uh... he-"

"I'm awesome? Handsome? Attractive?" Mikey asked, trying to find the humor in the situation. "I know. I get that all the time."

"Anna." Sonia demanded. "Explain."

"I just met him!" Anna blurted. "There was this fight going on so we kicked butt together, I slapped him, and then we started talking about cheese. I know this sounds crazy, but... he's like us. You know... a mutant. Obviously."

Cecilia didn't shift from her position with her bow and arrow at the ready, whereas Sonia resumed a normal posture, seeing as there was no threat. Emilie stared at Mikey, wide-eyed with disbelief. "Are you telling me... t-there's another mutant besides us?"

"Mikey!"

Mikey cringed. "Uh oh. I'm boned."

He turned towards the edge of the rooftop, and glanced back at the girls for a moment. "Can I put you guys on hold for like five seconds?"

Leaning over the rooftop, he looked down at his brothers and waved ecstatically. "Dudes! I'm up here! You're not gonna believe this but you know my new homegirl? She has friends!"

Leonardo's voice floated back up. "Mikey, quit playing around and get back down here."

Raphael spoke next. "I thought you said you wanted answers."

That made Leo hesitate. "I was getting to that."

Sonia, who'd been listening to the conversation, approached the ledge and glared down at Mikey. "You. What are your intentions with my sister?"

Mikey didn't notice her. "Nothing out of line, dudette, I just wanted to chill with her! Your sister's awesome!"

"Your statement implies you're lying. And I'm not letting you near Anna. I don't want her being influenced in a way worse than she already has."

Did she just call him a bad influence? Because that comment kinda stung. Pissed off, Mikey got up, ready to give it straight back. "Okay, that was rude on so many levels. Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the one and only Michelangelo and I'm one of the sickest ninjas out-"

His glare softened once it fell upon the tall, lean and brown-eyed beauty, and he was rendered speechless. "- there."

She narrowed her eyes, which were gloriously sharp and unyielding. So Anna was pretty, but her sister... she took the word "captivating" to a whole new level. Her lips were full and inviting, her eyes were dark... she was so unlike the others- her emanation was magnetic. Her features were crafted in such a way that she just naturally radiated mysteriousness, and that was what had him hooked. In Mikey's eyes, there was only one word to sum her up- beautiful. He was instantly hypnotized.

Even he was surprised that he could be rendered speechless so easily, and even more surprised that his attraction towards a girl could have that effect. Mikey wasn't one to be easily silenced, so his brothers and Splinter told him often. But now he stood rooted to the spot, wide eyed and at a loss for words. This was, as Splinter would have said, unnatural.

She observed him with a glare capable of perforation. "... what are you staring at?"

Her voice, though sultry, was equally virulent. He could listen to her all day if she didn't sound like she was about to castrate him. "... nothin'."

Now she looked at him as if she despised the ground he walked on. "Do you intend on fraternizing with my sister?"

_Come on, Mikey, get a hold of yourself! _"That's like being friends with her, right? What's the big deal?"

She ignored him. "Who are you?"

Here was the opportunity to impress her. He knew he'd get her swooning as soon as he was done. "You mean you've never heard of me? That's harsh, baby girl. I'm Michelangelo, the kickass ninja and full-time ladies' man. I'd give you my card, but my, uh... agent hasn't made any yet."

She raised a brow ridge. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Oh, she was feisty. Definitely his type. "You will, baby. You always believe it when you see it!"

Confused, Emilie nudged Cecilia and Anna. "Can someone tell me a) what the fuck is going on, b) who he is, and c) why he's stalking Anna?"

"His name is Mikey, and he's not stalking me." Anna protested. "He just wants to hang out some time."

Cecilia had evaluated the scene enough and lowered her bow. "Can we address the fact that there is another mutant besides us of the same species?

"Let me stop you right there. Guys are a different species entirely."

"Emilie!"

Anna started giggling.

Emilie reached out and pinched her arm. "What?"

Anna gave a half-supressed laugh. "I think Mikey's trying to flirt with Sonia."

And he didn't seem to be succeeding, either. She looked beyond impressed. "You're kidding. Does he _want_ to get his ass kicked?"

"He's going after _Sonia_." Cecilia didn't seem convinced. "I think he's insane."

Judging by the fact that Anna lit up when Mikey appeared, Emilie thought she'd be quite upset by him trying to hit on Sonia. But she was just grinning. "I think it's cute. Maybe he can get her to lighten up."

Emilie smiled to herself. _That's my sis. Doesn't let anything get her down._

"So you approve?" Cecilia asked, smirking.

Anna's eyes twinkled. "Totally approve."

A voice floated up to them, husky and distinctly male. "If you don't hurry up, Mikey, I'm gonna drag your ass down here! I ain't waitin' on you any more!"

"There's _more _of them?" Emilie cried. "Am I missing something? Because you guys seem pretty damn calm about it!"

Cecilia sighed. "How's this- I am maintaining a calm and composed outward form, however that is all a pretence. I am internally struggling to comprehend the situation."

"Oooh." Anna murmured.

"In English, Celia." Emilie snapped.

"I'm freaking out but I'm just not showing it."

"And why didn't you say so?"

"Because I wanted to confuse you."

"Thanks a lot, asshat."

Anna watched as Sonia and Mikey continued talking. Poor Mikey was smitten with the seriously-serious Sonia, who never laughed let alone felt joy. Her life was centered around jujitsu and jujitsu alone. Anna was pretty concerned for Mikey since it seemed like he didn't have a chance in hell, but she wasn't going to be narrow-minded about it. She was willing to believe that romance could bloom between the two... if Mikey tried hard enough. Sonia certainly wasn't a push-over.

She was jolted from her pensive state when Emilie let out a shriek and scurried behind her, grabbing the younger mutant's shoulders and digging her nails in. The pain caused Anna to stumble and she fell over. Just as Cecilia was about to ask why Anna was laughing hysterically, a bulking figure caught her eye. Her jaw dropped. "Oh my."

"Look!" Anna giggled. "I'm spinning on my shell! I didn't know this was possible!"

"Who..." Emilie pointed at said figure and rose her voice, "... THE HELL is that!?"

On instinct, Cecilia rose her bow and arrow again as the figure came into view. Now quite nervous, she took a step back. The mutant before her was massive build-wise, considerably taller and sported a red bandana. He bared his teeth, straining the cut on his upper lip, and bit down on his toothpick. His steely gaze moved to Cecilia's bow, and he reached out and snatched it off of her. Cecilia almost screamed.

"You want this back?" His voice was throaty, intimidating. He eyed the bow as if it were an insignificant piece of wood. "I could think of a 'lotta ways to use this."

"Please give it back." There was really nothing else she could say at this point.

He seemed to think it over, but only briefly. "You aimed at me, so I ain't giving it back."

Defeated, Cecilia lowered her head. Emilie noticed this, which caused her temper to flare. If there was one thing she wouldn't tolerate, it was people other than herself victimizing her sisters. With a sudden air of confidence she stepped forward, eyes alight. "Give the bow back and there won't be any problems."

He paused and slowly turned to her, silently daring her to keep talking. Now looking at him full-on, she noticed he was a lot taller than her and rather attractive. "What are you gonna do, half pint?"

Emilie would have tried to assail him had Cecilia not have stopped her. "Who the fuck are you calling half pint, Bruce Banner? Let's see how tough you are when I send you home with your half-inch tail between your legs."

That seemed to really piss him off. "Bring it on, princess."

Emilie lunged, fists clenched and at the ready, but Cecilia had her restrained. For the shortest of her sisters, she was considerably strong, so holding her back was a task. Cecilia would have been concerned about the muscle-bound mutant having a go at Emilie, but Mikey appeared out of nowhere and dived in front of him. "Whoa whoa whoa! Raph, chill out! Can't we all just get along?"

The bigger mutant growled. "Get out of my way, Mikey."

"Not until you say sorry for being a jerk." Mikey said airily. He turned to Emilie. "And you should say sorry for calling him the Hulk. That wasn't nice."

"I'm not the only one who understood the Bruce Banner reference!" Cecilia cried.

Emilie sneered. "I don't need to apologize."

Sonia strode towards them, her jaw set as a sign of frustration. She grabbed Emilie's arm, and swiftly pulled her back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to kick the living shit out of tall, swole and ugly here." Emilie muttered, pulling her arm away. "He took Cecilia's bow and it pissed me off. I wasn't gonna let him pick on her."

Sonia rested a hand on her shoulder, her grip reassuring. "Fighting isn't the best way to solve things. Sometimes it's easier to just turn around and walk away."

Emilie instantly tensed up. "I know. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Just don't let it happen again."

Emilie pursed her lips together, knowing she couldn't make any promises. "Where's Anna?"

"Sitting on the far side of the rooftop."

There was a swelling ache in Emilie's chest, which she could only lessen by talking to her younger sister. She slipped away without saying another word. She didn't have to. Sonia knew Emilie was troubled, that she had a scar as deep as her emotions ran, and she was vulnerable. Sometimes words weren't needed- all it took was silence to show how large the burden on one's shoulders really was.

Putting her concerns aside, Sonia turned to the one who'd angered Emilie. "Whether it was deserved or not, I apologize for my sister's behaviour. She's irrepressibly temperamental."

He grunted. "Whatever."

"What he really means is 'I'm sorry' but he's too cool to say it." Mikey interrupted, grinning. "Right, bro?"

"Wrong, bro."

"Don't worry about it, Mikey." Alarmed, Cecilia towards the source of the voice, and realised that there had been another two mutants there the whole time trying to restrain their companion. The one who spoke was stocky, wore a blue bandana and had piercing blue eyes. "He's not going to apologize, even though he should because we don't want any trouble. Do we, Raphael?"

"He won't say sorry unless we fall off a building again." Mikey chuckled.

Raphael just glowered. "You're askin' for it, bro."

The one with the blue bandana reached down and picked up Cecilia's bow, then turned to her. "Is this yours?"

Cecilia nodded, unable to form words for the time being. "Mhm."

He dipped his head politely, and handed her the bow. She thought it an honourable act. "My apologies for my brother's behaviour. He's... a short fuse."

Cecilia smiled demurely. "I can understand that. Thank you, by the way."

"Anytime." He replied. "Donatello, how much time have we got left?"

"Donatello" was taller and slimmer than the others, wore a purple bandana, and had accessorised with an abundance of wires and mechanical paraphernalia. He adjusted his taped glasses. "Twenty minutes."

Sonia cleared her throat. "May I ask what exactly is going on?"

The blue-masked one eyed her curiously. "We came to... collect our brother, however-"

She raised a brow ridge. "However...?"

"We need answers." He continued. "How. Why. I'm sure it's all self-explanatory."

Sonia understood. She straightened up, keeping her gaze fixed. "Very well. From the beginning?"

The look he gave them was an answer enough.

* * *

If it hadn't made sense before, it now did. Sonia started at the beginning, and finished at the end. She was clear and consistent, and explained everything in a way that they could process. Leonardo listened intently as everything seemed to sew itself together, creating one seamless narrative. Though some things still appeared strange, he had the answers he needed, hence he found it easier to accept the fact that there were other mutants out there.

Michelangelo sat beside Leonardo, wide-eyed and absorbing every word with fascination. Raphael sat in silence, acting as if he couldn't care less, but Leonardo knew he was listening. Even Donatello, who had initially been deep-seated in his opinions, paid attention. Sonia explained most of their history, though Cecilia made small scientific contributions when Donatello asked for them.

"So let me get this straight." Leonardo interjected, leaning back on his arms. "Even after the, uh... ooze... was destroyed the first time, Sachs gave the project another shot?"

Sonia nodded curtly. "In the following year."

"But it can't have been the following year." Donatello argued. "I did the math, and it would take at least two years to create the mutagen up to testing standards. The formula alone-"

"If he made it once, I'm sure he could have made it again." Cecilia replied. "Scientists tend to have a brilliant sense of memory, especially when they've achieved a particularly memorable breakthrough. And I was told that he still had a journal of notes from the original project."

Raphael shook his head. "The guy's batshit crazy."

Mikey stared blankly ahead. "I so didn't understand any of that."

Sonia closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Sachs was desperate enough to relaunch the project. We were the test subjects."

Cecilia flinched, though Sonia was unaffected. She seemed to used to hearing those words, which was in a way admirable. People were generally sensitive to words. Some endured the pain and became impervious to it, whereas others wore the scars for the rest of their lives. Sonia seemed to be one of the lucky ones.

Accept and move on, like Leo was taught to do. At least they were on the same wavelength, which made everything more believable. He'd grown up hidden from society, and never imagined the possibilities nor had the opportunity to come across other mutants. Now that everything had been explained, he felt more at ease. Sure, it was unsettling when Leo met Anna, but he wasn't bigoted. He wasn't raised that way.

Cecilia spoke up. "The mutagen was supposed to be a prototype, but... here we are. I guess it worked, huh?"

Sonia gave her a sideways glance. "And it looks like we weren't the only ones."

Raphael scowled. "And you were raised by surface-dwellers."

"That's right."

He grunted. "Like I'm gonna believe that."

"Raph." Leo hissed.

"What, you believe them? 'Cause I don't think any surface-dwellers would adopt mutants. Who would? It sounds fucking stupid."

"There was only one person who wasn't as censorious as the rest of society." Sonia said firmly. "At least I thought she wasn't. Cheyenne. She's the reason we didn't have to face spending our lives in a laboratory."

"And Declan." Cecilia added.

Sonia shot a glare in her direction. "Cecilia. Don't."

"He was just as much a part of our lives-"

"And yet he was willing to forsake us for his own egocentric reasons." Sonia snapped. "Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because my focus isn't revenge."

Mikey coughed. "Does anyone else think this is a coincidence? Raph? Leo?"

"Nor is revenge my focus." Sonia replied, getting up. "But I learn from my mistakes."

She glanced at the boys. "Please excuse me. I have to check on my sisters. I'm afraid they may have done something stupid."

"I can relate." Leo smirked. "Go ahead."

Sonia smiled wanly, and glided off. Mikey watched her, enthralled.

"Did you guys see that smile?" He asked. "When she smiles it's like... opening twenty cans of Pepsi."

His brothers and Cecilia stared at him.

Mikey shrugged. "Y'know- bubbles. You feel all tingly and stuff. She's so beautiful..."

Donnie shook his head. "Oh no..."

"Not this again." Leo sighed.

"I thought the hogosha was your girl." Raph muttered, the slightest trace of sarcasm in his voice.

"Yeah, she's still my number one girl. For now."

"Maybe you should tell your brother to take it easy with Sonia. She's not easy to win over." Cecilia told Leonardo. She smirked at the thought. "Is there anything else you want to know?"

"You guys said you're from New Jersey. Why did you come to New York?"

Cecilia hesitated, bit her lip, and glanced around nervously. Finally her eyes landed back on Leo. "Long story short- Anna was seen and the authorities were involved. I guess the rumours moved quickly because soon we had a guy working for Sachs at our doorstep. He was asking for Declan to "hand over the test subjects" or something. Who knew what extent he would have gone to if we'd just stayed put? We'd eventually be caught. So we left, and ended up here."

Leonardo was about to speak when Mikey interrupted. "And you just got here, huh? Welcome to the Big Apple!"

Cecilia smiled timidly. "Thanks. It's nice to have a change, I guess. I just don't know what we're going to do from here."

"Get food." Cecilia glanced over her shoulder as her sisters proceeded towards her. Emilie flopped down next to her, letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't know about you, know-it-all, but I'm starving."

Raphael gritted his teeth. "I ain't done with you, little miss sunshine."

"Call me 'little miss sunshine' again and I'll punch your lights out."

"You talk shit and don't back it up. Come on, princess, here's your opportunity."

Leo grabbed his brother's arm. "Raph, don't. You know we don't start fights."

Cecilia grinned uneasily, wrapping an arm around Emilie's shoulder. "And Emilie here just likes to talk herself up. I think we got off to a rough start, so maybe we should take a different approach. Like a proper introduction. Emilie, this is Raphael. Raphael, this is Emilie. I don't think she appreciates being called 'little miss sunshine,' so we should stick with 'Emilie.' Now can we all just get along?"

"Dropkick." Emilie muttered under her breath.

"Emilie. Enough." Sonia said firmly. She politely bowed her head in Leonardo's direction. "We best be leaving, since we're exhausted. But we... enjoyed the conversation and company. Hopefully we will meet again."

"Wait." Sonia turned, raising a brow ridge. Leonardo pulled himself up. "You're on the run from Sachs, right? You can't just hide from the guy. I'm pretty sure he's posted in New York."

"Sachs' Industries main branch is based here." Donatello informed them. "Leo, we're half an hour late. We should probably get out of here."

Sonia thought for a moment, but managed a smile. "We'll figure something out."

Mikey didn't even realise what was going on until the girls started walking away. Panicking, he tried to think of something to say. They were about to walk into something they had no idea about, let alone into a place they'd never been to. How were they supposed to find somewhere to stay if they didn't know where they were?

"Hold on!" He exclaimed. The girls turned again, giving him inquisitive looks.

They certainly weren't expecting what came out of his mouth next. "You guys should come crash with us! Right, bros?"

Donnie's jaw dropped. "Mikey-"

"Not gonna happen." Raph said instantly.

Leo lowered his voice. "I don't think that's a good-"

"Come on." Mikey hissed. "They just got here and they don't have anywhere else to go. Plus, that Sachs dude could find them, no sweat. But if they stay with us, he won't and we can all party and be happy turtle friends or something."

Leonardo thought it over briefly, then indicated for his brothers to form a huddle. "I'll be honest, I think Mikey has a point. Donnie, what do you think?"

Donatello frowned. "See, I'm not really sure... I don't know... I'm kind of on a par. I don't really see what's so bad about it, but I can't conclude whether it's a good idea or not."

Leo glared at Raph. "I already know what you're gonna say, but you may aswell-"

"I'm sayin' no." Raphael spat. "We don't know 'em, and I sure as hell ain't puttin' up with little miss sunshine."

"They seem pretty legit." Mikey offered blithely. "And it's not like they're surface-dwellers, right? Come on, bros, they don't have anywhere else to go. Look into your hearts... have a little Christmas spirit..."

"It ain't even close to Christmas, idiot."

"Nothing wrong with having the spirit early. Leo, you agree with me, right?"

Leonardo was one of honour and modesty, and one of his morals was to help others in need. Then again, they could possibly achieve some sort of allegiance over the Sachs problem. "Actually... yeah, Mikey, I'm gonna agree with you. There's nothing wrong with helping those in need. Besides, they're on the run from the same person who was after us. Who's to say he's not just after them but us as well? Because I think he's the kind of guy who would try and get revenge."

Donnie stayed silent. Raph was a little more vocal. "You're fucking crazy, Leo. I'm out on this one."

"I guess I can see where he's coming from, though." Donnie said honestly. "They know things that we don't, and if Sachs is obsessive enough to repeat the project, he could-"

"Revive the Shredderrrr...!" Mikey droned. "Seriously, though. That dude is evil. Maybe we could all team up and save the world!"

"Don't be an idiot." Raph growled, pushing his younger brother.

"Let's just focus on the fact that they need help." Leo said, glancing around at his brothers. "We'll be doing the right thing by letting them stay, so I'm for it."

Raph shook his head. "Come on, Leo, this is stupid-"

"I'm sure you can put up with it." Leo said reassuringly. He straightened up, and turned back to the girls. "Sorry about that. We needed time to think it over. But we've decided that-"

"You can come stay in my crib! Uh, sorry. Our crib."

Leo ignored his younger brother. "We've decided to allow you to stay with us, if that's what you want."

Sonia stared at him, shocked. Which was rare in her case. She took a moment to discuss the offer with her sisters, then turned back to Leo when they'd made a decision. "We appreciate your offer, and we accept. Thank you."

"Does this mean I'll get to hang out with Mikey?" Anna asked excitedly.

Mikey grinned at her. "You bet it does, angelcakes!"

"Yay!" Anna cried. "This is the best day of my life!"

Cecilia took a step forward, and smiled politely at the boys. "Honestly, I can't thank you enough. It really means a lot to me. To all of us."

Leonardo shrugged. "Don't sweat it. Alright, guys, we're probably way over check-in time, so we'd better get home before sensei sends us back to the hashi again."

"It'll be the second time this week." Donatello narrowed his eyes. "I can just imagine him waiting for us. Smiling. '_Looks like it's back to the hashi..._'"

Raphael glanced down at the morose Emilie. "Think you can handle the sewers, fun size?"

Her lip curled in a disparaging smile. "Anything's a cakewalk unless you're involved, steroid."

"Hey guys!" Michelangelo called. "I kinda just realised something. Is it too late to bring this up?"

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Probably, but say it anyway."

"What's Master Splinter gonna say when he finds out?"

* * *

**ULTIMATE CLIFFHANGER! :O**

**But seriously, what is Splinter going to say (about the girls)? He'd probably be amazed for a moment, but instantly accepting. He'd be the type to say "I don't believe it" when he actually does believe it XD**

**So, how was the chapter? Bad, good? As you guys can probably tell, I love getting feedback. But I'm mostly happy that there are people out there enjoying this fanfiction :) you guys are amazing. **

**Some of you may have caught Emilie's 'Incredible Hulk' reference. In her defence, I have nothing against Bruce Banner. He's one of my favourite Avengers since he's such a dork... until he loses control and turns into an enormous green rage monster ;)**

**Oh, and about Anna's name. No, it wasn't inspired by Frozen, her name is actually Giovanna (Melanie named her, she was an art student. God I'm original) but she hates her name so tells everyone to call her Anna. The others are just random names, I think. Cecilia's name came from a song :)**

**Stay tuned for the next episode of Star Wars- I mean- the next chapter!**


	6. Changes

**I'm hearing Tom Kenny's voice everywhere and it's scaring me... o_o**

**Welcome to the 6th chapter! Sorry it's been kinda late. I was a bit on-off with this chapter, and needed a bit of a confidence boost to continue. But it's here! Yay!**

**I'm glad you guys caught the Bruce Banner reference! Fellow Marvel fans unite! :D you'll find that this chapter is filled with references galore. See if you can catch 'em all. (Hehe... see what I did there?)**

**This story will probably be long, but I need to start shortening the chapters which I will probably start doing after this one. Man, this one was hard to write. The sleeping arrangement question caught me off guard XD **

**Nightwing, I'm not sure what you mean about making this story big on so many levels. Do you mean by references? Because that will happen. A lot :)**

**Disclaimer time! XxoxLightningxxoX does not own TMNT. There, I said it :(**

_Isn't anyone trying to find me?_  
_ Won't somebody come take me home?_  
_ It's a damn cold night_  
_ I'm trying to figure out this life_  
_ Won't you, take me by the hand_  
_ Take me somewhere new?_  
_ I don't know who you are_  
_ But I, I'm with you_

**I'm With You- Avril Lavigne (I don't own this song, lalala)**

* * *

**Xx3xX**

Regardless of the circumstances, she never sat by one's bedside. She always stood.

To sit, Karai believed, was a way of letting your guard down. It was crucial to remain alert, and most importantly silent, at all times. Even in the most caliginous moments.

All she could hear was the soughing of the southerly wind and the gentle susurration of tree leaves. A thin shadow extended from a tree branch outside the window and fell across her master's face, creating the impression of an unsettling sombre concave. He laid motionless, silent and with his eyes open, studying the tapestry they'd moved into his bedchamber while he was recovering. Karai knew it was best not to disturb him.

She stood in quietude at her master's bedside as he loured at the fraying edges of the fabric, an issue which he'd ordered his henchmen to fix immediately. It held a legend that was of great significance to him, and at a time when he was at it's weakest, it was what he required to heal. He was confident that the chronicle had no ending, allowing him to create his own, stitch by gradual stitch. To Oroku Saki, this was a sign of an opportunity for redemption.

Her eyes fell on the flickering candle beside his bed, which was the only source of light in the room. Impatient, she quietly hummed to herself.

Minutes passed, and his eyes were still fixed on the intricate artwork. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, scowled, then leaned back against the wall.

"_I do not believe in fairytales_."

Karai stepped forward. "_Otosan_."

He turned his head towards his successor, his gaze hollow and his expression arid. He spoke in a string of broken Japanese. "_Bring him to me. You may resume your duties."_

"_Hai, shishou_." She spoke in a hushed tone, and bowed briefly. The candlelight cast a slight glow on her silhouette, sharpening her features and giving her an air of confidence. "_Kishi kaisei_."

She left the room in silence, all the while keeping her expression blank. She approached Sachs, who stood patiently in the hallway. "He will see you now."

Sacks noticed the tension in her posture. "Something is troubling you."

Karai eyed him disapprovingly. "I am being forced to watch as my father suffers. What else would trouble me?"

"For one," Sacks held his hands behind his back, "the sudden power over such a diverse organization. It seems to be weakening."

Her expression immediately became grave. "If I were you, I would take the opportunity to learn my place and keep it. Now get out of my way."

She tried to side-step him, but he mimicked her pathway. "I have a proposition."

"I am not interested."

"You fear for him, don't you?" Sacks lowered his voice, assuring only she could hear. "He took one hell of a fall last year, and the only thing that kept him alive was that armour. But his dream has survived, and I have the perfect opportunity to expand on it."

Karai stopped in her tracks, intrigued. She raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Sacks smiled wanly. "Perhaps I should fill you in on the current and past affairs. 15 years ago, I conducted a relaunch of Project Renaissance using four female reptiles in hope of achieving that dream-"

"Get to the point."

He frowned. "Patience is a virtue, is it not?"

"I have places I need to be."

"Of course. As I was saying... those test subjects are alive, and somewhere in New Jersey."

Karai did a double take. "More vigilantes?"

"I'm not sure if they're vigilantes this time." Sachs smiled. "Which means an easier capture, and a higher chance of achieving our master's goal."

She narrowed her eyes. "It is not wise to repeat history."

"I am confident this time." He assured her. "So here lies my proposition- I have an excellent engineer who is currently building machinery to assist in our master's recovery process. Of course, the process can only be sped up with this state-of-the-art technology, which I will provide if you make a contribution."

"What kind of contribution?" She asked suspiciously.

"Simple- send your ring of misfits into New Jersey, detain the females and lock them up in my company's laboratory there. I'll take care of the ones who caused us so much trouble last year."

"And just what are you planning to do?"

Sacks shook his head. "That will just spoil the novelty. But let's just say I have a little... treat in store. So... do we have an agreement?"

Karai thought it over for a lengthier amount of time than Sacks desired, but it turned out to be the answer he wanted. "Very well. We have an agreement... as long as you keep your word. When do you wish to have them detained?"

"Patience." He told her. "First I need double the amount of nitroethene your men have been taking from the port while I get a lead on the freaks of nature. Then we'll figure out things from there."

"If you delay, I will take it upon myself to exact retribution for my father." Karai murmured, her tone virulent. "Your petty desires mean nothing to me. So waste any time and I will do things my way."

With that last brazen comment, she turned on her heel and left with her head held high. Sacks lingered for a moment, vexed, then entered his master's bedchamber. The weakening warrior sat motionless on the bed directly across from the tapestry Sacks had come to know so well.

He bowed, and spoke calmly. "Master Shredder."

Shredder bowed his head briefly. "_Gakusei_."

"How are you feeling?"

"_That was a foolish question."_

"Allow me to take a burden off of your shoulders." Sacks replied, moving to sit at his master's bedside. "Something phenomenal has happened. The relaunch of Project Renaissance was not all a failure. The female test subjects mutated successfully, and are still alive."

Shredder sat up. "_Alive_?"

"And roaming the city of New Jersey, according to my sources. If we do the basic math, there are eight mutants out there. We only need four to manufacture enough antidote for one city."

"_What is it you are suggesting_?"

Here it came. The perfect plan, which he'd conjured up to fit in with the creativity of the new year. "We acquire enough nitroethene to recreate double the amount of toxin. We set up containment units in the New Jersey laboratory, and drain every last drop of blood from the females. The process will be repeated on the males. Finally, we release the toxin into New York and New Jersey, one after the other. If the release times are further apart, it will have a heavier impact and the government will likely send us a larger cheque."

"_I will not make the same mistake again_." Shredder murmured. "_As soon as you are finished with the turtles, I will slaughter what remains of them."_

"I'll add it to the 'to do' list. But just imagine it... double the chance of success. If one fails, we still have another chance." Sacks droned. "I'm willing to believe that we're going to have a favourable outcome this time."

"_And if we do not_?"

"We expose them." Was Sacks' simple reply. "Reveal them to the rest of the world, and offer a solution to rid the world of these... unwanted creatures. But both cities could be under your control, as long as you are their saviour."

Shredder was silent for a moment, then, "_both. In time, my student_. _We will cure society's common disease_."

* * *

The girls had been taking to the rooftops as a means of transport for four years, but they certainly weren't used to travelling at this kind of speed. All of them except Sonia, anyway. Keeping up with the boys wasn't much of an issue for her.

Cecilia struggled the most with keeping up, since she wasn't used to running for such long periods of time. Anna decided to show off by cartwheeling across the rooftops, which did earn applause from Michelangelo. At one point Anna tripped and almost fell off of the edge of the building, though Donatello grabbed her arm and pulled her back just in time.

"That was close." He said uneasily. "Are you okay?"

She grinned up at him. "That was wicked. But thanks for stopping me from going splat."

"Well, it would have hurt, that's for sure."

"Hurry up, Anna." Sonia called, already three rooftops ahead of them.

Anna smirked at her rescuer. "Race ya."

Donatello wasn't really one to race, but figuring they were quite far behind, he accepted her challenge. He still came out victorious by the time they reached their destination, where the others were waiting.

"Bout time you got here!" Mikey exclaimed, beaming at Anna. "Those were some insane skills, angelcakes. You totally left Donnie in the dust."

"Technically, Mikey, I cleared the finish point before-"

Leonardo silenced them with a quick glance over his shoulder, then stepped up onto the ledge of the rooftop to address the group. "Boys, you already know the drill. So if you wanna go, go. I'm not stopping you."

Raphael gave Emilie a mocking sneer, then leapt off of the rooftop and disappeared into the manhole about six meters below. Emilie, who hated being upstaged, stepped forward and glared at Leonardo. "So what, all you do is just jump into that manhole?"

"It's a little more complicated than that-"

"Sounds easy." Emilie retorted. She briefly rolled her neck and cracked her knuckles, then without any further discussion she jumped after Raphael. Leonardo watched her, then turned back to the others. "Is there really any point in finishing what I was going to say?"

"Grab a buddy!" Mikey exclaimed, linking arms with the effervescent Anna. "This is like our own personal pipeline slash waterslide, 'cept more extreme. Vamanos, my amigo!"

Anna was fascinated. "You speak Spanish?"

"Yeah. Dora's actually pretty educational, but Master Splinter said I'd learn more from watching grass grow. Still gotta test that theory."

Stepping up onto a ledge 6 feet above ground level gave Anna a sudden rush of vitality. She stared down with an adventurous gleam in her eyes. "This is like that movie where the girl jumps off a building and lands on a net. Is there a net down there?"

"Nope."

Anna paused for a moment, then flippantly shrugged it off. "Sounds awesome. I'm ready when you are. TO INFINITY AND BEYONNDDDD!"

"GERONIMO IS SO 1985!" Mikey shouted, launching himself forward and taking Anna with him. They disappeared in seconds, leaving the others gaping. Donatello went next without hesitation, then Sonia. Cecilia stood on the ledge for a matter of seconds before she got back off it, shaking. "I seriously can't do this."

Leonardo glanced at her. "Why not?"

Cecilia stood rooted to the spot with her arms wrapped around herself. "I can handle rooftop running to an extent, but... I'm just afraid of heights. I know it sounds irrational."

"It's not about being afraid of heights. It's about being afraid of falling."

Huh. When he put it that way, it sounded logical. She admired the blue-masked terrapin's insightful outlook- he simply told it like it was. "Yeah. I guess you're right. But the thought alone of jumping off a building is pretty challenging."

His expression was forbearing. "Don't think, just jump."

He stood on the ledge himself, though he patiently waited for her to work up the courage to go first. Inhaling deeply, Cecilia stepped up to reach his level, and closed her eyes. She ignored the tug of the squally winds and paid no heed to the distracting row of lights dotting the skyline ahead. Heart racing, she rocked back on her heels, feeling nothing but the world come to a halt around her. Suddenly she felt weightless. Alone. Devoid of rational thought.

_Don't think, just jump__._ She allowed herself to be bereft of all thought. Taking a breath, she propelled herself forwards, feeling the rush of wind upon her shoulders before gravity took it's toll and pulled her under.

_I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die-_

Her eyes shot open when she collided with the tunnel wall, and slid down the sloping concrete. Her heart thundering in her chest, Cecilia glanced over her shoulder to see Leonardo land safely where she had just been, and within seconds he was ahead of her. "You made it. Good job."

Still shaken, Cecilia dissolved into laughter. "T-thanks. I seriously thought I was going to die."

"Yet you're still alive. By the way, you might wanna move to the left."

Cecilia had no idea what he meant until she encountered a near miss with an array of metal pipes. After she'd finished shrieking, she scowled at the amused Leonardo. She tried splashing him, but he was too far ahead. Beads of murky water cascaded down her legs. _Gross_.

The others were already waiting by the time she reached the end of the tunnel, and Cecilia couldn't help but smirk at Emilie. Seething, she stood with her arms crossed, covered from head to toe in droplets of water.

On seeing her sister's grin, Emilie gritted her teeth. "Don't. Say. A. Word."

Cecilia shook her head, still smiling. "Honestly, I don't have to."

One at a time they made their way through a narrow pipe, following Leonardo's instructions to remain quiet. They ended up in an expansive area decorated in graffiti, where the boys stopped to stow their weaponry. Cecilia stared at the finely crafted objects, intrigued. Leonardo had previously explained that they were trained in ninjutsu, but Cecilia never really noticed they had weapons until now. She was too caught up in trying to process the situation. Glancing down at her crappy bow, Cecilia frowned. It was only a matter of time before the elastic limbs broke apart, but it didn't really matter. She wasn't that skilled in archery anyway.

"Whatever you do," Leonardo told the group, "don't wake Master Splinter. I really can't deal with going to the hashi tonight."

"Who's Master Splinter?" Anna whispered.

"He's our dad." Mikey replied. "And our guru."

Anna was now imagining a mutant nonconformist for some reason. The thought of psychedelic garb, peace symbols and tinted sunglasses made her grin.

"He sounds awesome." She said in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, he is." Mikey replied, walking further ahead. He glanced from left to right. "When he's not mad anyway. Mad Splinter is scary Splinter."

"And he's gonna be pissed if he sees us." Raphael growled. "So get your ass out of the way, Mikey."

"No way. Gotta check if the coast is clear." Mikey disappeared into the shadows, and moments later a light came on. "Ta-da! Welcome to my crib, ladies. Or as I like to call it, 'Bag End'."

It took a while for the girls to take in their surroundings, as they weren't expecting such an impressive abode in the sewers of all places. It was decorated with miscellaneous objects and crafts, including a unique lounge suite made out of pizza boxes. Sonia thought it an awe-inspiring use of resources.

Anna was taken with the wall of boomboxes in the dining area. "Are those boomboxes? That's such a retro idea! This whole place is rad!"

Mikey was wrapped with the fact that someone admired his ideas. "Told you guys she's chill!"

He hooked his arm through Anna's, grinning. "Come on, angelcakes. Allow me to give you Le Grande Tour!"

The others followed in silence, paying attention to Mikey's extravagant narration. He was eager to show off his prized comic book collection to an excited Cecilia, though Leonardo told him "now is not the time." Anna took a liking to Donatello's inventions, especially the Shell Raiser, causing the erudite turtle to fumble for words. Sonia quietly appraised the décor, whereas Emilie stayed silent and introverted.

Finally, they arrived at jagged concrete archway that led to an area with an old pool table, large bean bags, a trampoline and a Gamecube hooked up to a TV set.

"The lair was kinda blown up last year, but it made another room." Mikey explained. "So this is our games room. We're still working on it. Donnie's rewiring a pinball machine, but it's taking ages since he's missing some stuff."

He hesitated for a moment, then turned to his brothers. "I just figured out where they can sleep. In here!"

They stared at him.

"I know. I'm a genius, right?"

"I guess it's our only option." Leonardo glanced at Sonia. "Do you think you'll be okay in here?"

Sonia didn't need to give the room a second glance. "We'll be perfectly fine."

Cecilia was generally fussy about sleeping arrangements, but it was better than nothing. "I second that."

Emilie shrugged nonchalantly. Anna, on the other hand, was happy with the arrangement. "What they said!"

"Sweet. So that's sorted." Leonardo turned to his youngest brother. "Since you're the one that thought it all up, you can sort everything else out."

"Aw, come on, man! Why can't you do it?"

"It's only fair since you didn't clean the dojo like you were supposed to yesterday."

"Raph's fault, not mine. He distracted me." Mikey protested. "Okay, okay. Do we even have, like, blankets or anything?"

Raphael glared at him. Deciding that asking was a bad idea, Mikey went off to find out for himself. He returned minutes later with blankets over his head and draping down his shell like a cloak.

"The force is strong with this one." He joked.

Cecilia and Anna laughed fondly. Just before Mikey could crack another joke, Leonardo told him to "quit messing around." Disappointed, Mikey removed the blankets, and handed them to the girls.

"This is only temporary, angelcakes." He told Anna. "We're totally gonna build a pillow fort with a sign saying 'No Losers Allowed'."

Anna was ecstatic. "And shout "you shall not pass" at anyone who tries to come in!"

"One does not simply walk into Mordor!"

"Fly, you fools!"

Donatello tried cutting them off. "Guys-"

"They have a cave troll!"

Instead of saying anything else, Donatello elbowed Mikey in the side, causing the younger turtle to turn and see Master Splinter standing in the entryway, his arms held behind his back.

His voice was deadly calm. "You are late."

"Sensei, we-" In a matter of seconds, Leonardo was on the ground. Cecilia cringed.

Splinter's tail swirled around his ankles. "The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour. It is far past your time limit. Explain to me why you are late."

Mikey was first to answer. "Therewasafootclanproblembutitwastakencareofandtherewasthischickandwefollowedher-"

"There is no need to speak so quickly, unless you are hiding something."

The youngest of the boys slowed his voice down. "- and she had friends but they had nowhere to go so we said they could stay with us."

"I had nothin' to do with it." Raphael objected. "All on those three idiots."

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? So you dare to invite anonymous surface-dwellers into our home? That is beyond unacceptable-"

He noticed the girls, and his eyebrows ascended in surprise. "Oh my."

"Guess this means we won't be going to the hashi." Mikey whispered to Donnie. The older turtle shrugged.

Splinter slowly approached Sonia, since she was the closest in proximity. Sonia watched him, astonished. He was a wizened rat with glossy black eyes and thinning hair that was greying at the roots, and he gave off a humble impression. There was something about him that immediately made Sonia trust him.

He considered them with an incredulous expression. "I don't believe it."

Sonia smiled warily. "I'm assuming you are 'Master Splinter.' It's a pleasure."

Splinter politely bowed his head in acknowledgement. "I am. And it is certainly a surprise, though a pleasure, to meet you. We do not encounter fellow mutants on a daily basis."

Cecilia cleared her throat. "We can relate."

At this stage the boys were slinking away, though Splinter had not failed to notice this. He just chose not to reprimand them in the moment.

"I understand there is a story to be told." He said. "But now is not the time. You all appear to be exhausted, so it is only equitable if you rest. There will be time for answers in the morning."

"Of course. We will tell you everything you need to know." Sonia replied. "We are thankful for your hospitality."

"You need not thank me." His tone was serene, endearing. "Have you all eaten?"

The girls exchanged apprehensive glances. Finally Sonia answered. "No, however-"

Splinter held up a hand. "I will not allow you to go hungry. I believe we have plenty of fried rice and half a pizza leftover from last night's meal, which you are welcome to. I will return shortly, so please excuse me."

He padded out of the room, leaving the girls in a daze. Several minutes later he returned, carrying a large steaming bowl of fried rice, a slightly battered pizza box and utensils. They usually ate with chopsticks, but kept silverware for occasions such as having April over for dinner.

He placed the supplies on the pool table, as realistically there wasn't anywhere else to put them. "Help yourselves. There should be enough for four, unless it is my sons."

Though slightly cautious, they thanked him profusely. After assuring they were going to be comfortable, Splinter bid them goodnight and left to rebuke the boys for suspiciously bringing four females to their home. Moments later Splinter barked an order along the lines of "to the hashi", resulting in a series of groans from the exhausted terrapins.

The girls ate in their customary refined manner, and spoke in hushed tones. Anna, not being as refined as her sisters, took her time picking each piece of pepperoni off of her pizza and gave them to Emilie. Emilie had been silently seething over the disagreement with Raphael since their arrival in the sewers, but with a bit of sustenance she seemed to perk up.

"So," she sighed, finishing her mouthful and lying back on a beanbag. "You have a boyfriend, Sonia."

"Oooh!" Anna murmured.

Sonia looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Don't be stupid."

Emilie shrugged. "Yeah, well, the guy looks like he's head over heels for you. Don't deny you feel the same way."

Sonia's jaw tightened. "I do not feel 'the same way', nor do I feel anything towards him besides gratitude. We've just met."

She straightened up, her eyes trained on Emilie. "Besides, he's not my type."

Cecilia laughed. "Since when did you have a type?"

"For long enough to know that 'Mikey' is not my type."

The eldest of the turtles rolled her eyes. "Whatever. He seems like a pretty cool guy, so I think maybe he could teach you how to have a bit of fun once in a while."

"Ew, Cecilia, you're one to talk." Emilie snaked her foot out and lightly jabbed Cecilia. "I saw you with Da Vinci. You guys looked like you were hitting it off."

Cecilia's cheeks flushed. "He's just a nice guy."

It was Emilie's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah, sure. It's been like two hours and you're already crushing on the dude."

Anna looked crestfallen. "You said 'dude' was past it's time!"

"Yeah." Cecilia grinned devilishly. "Little miss sunshine."

Emilie glared at her. "Say one more word and I'll-"

"Enough." Sonia growled. "It's late, we've been on our feet all day, and we need rest so we can figure out what to do tomorrow. If you want to argue, that's fine. Just do it where you won't be disturbing anyone."

Cursing under her breath, Emilie grabbed her blanket and pulled it up over her head. Cecilia often laid awake for a short period of time, so she lay on her beanbag with her gaze fixed on the sewer ceiling. Anna, as per usual, was out like a light.

Exhausted, Sonia settled into the plush beanbag and pulled the blanket over her shoulders, breathing in the faint scent of paint fumes, Orange Crush and stale perspiration.

* * *

The sisters woke early that morning to speak with Master Splinter, who requested to do so in the dojo while his sons slept. He sat on his knees with his palms flat against them, exuding poise and confidence. The girls sat in a semi circle before him, cross-legged, while Sonia explained their history and the reason for their presence in New York.

"And you say that Eric Sacks is searching for you for reasons unknown."

"As of yet." Sonia answered. "It was explained to us that we were test subjects for a Project Renaissance relaunch, but we were never told of his motives."

Splinter stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Wealth, of course. Wealth and reputation."

Cecilia shook her head. "It seems to be a common influence throughout society."

"It's impact was more... heavy on Mr Sacks, considering the lengths he went to in order to achieve those motives."

"Heavy." Anna giggled. "Sacks. Get it, Em?"

She was silenced by a glare from Sonia, who turned back to Master Splinter. "Out of concern, could you please elaborate? It would help to put our minds at ease."

"Very well." Master Splinter exhaled deeply, and sat up straight. "After the failure of Project Renaissance, I believe that Sacks was desperate to find other methods that would assist him in winning the city's gratitude. One of those methods must have been the second project attempt, which also appears to have failed. Just last year he discovered that my sons were still alive, and they were captured and were almost rendered exhausted of blood.

"Why did Sacks attempt to take their blood? It's rather complicated. He wished to release a toxin over the city, and introduce an antidote made from the healing mutagen found in the turtles' bloodstream. This was not merely Sacks' motives, in fact, he was... a pawn. For Oroku Saki."

"Who's Oroku Saki?" Cecilia asked, curious.

"That is a story for another day." Splinter continued. "But he went under the alias "the Shredder," and led a criminal organization called the Foot Clan. For years they terrorized the innocent people of New York... until the turtles stopped Shredder last year. Without a leader, the Foot Clan would become corrupt. Michelangelo claims he saw six members last night."

"I saw them too." Anna interjected. "I think."

"So if the Foot Clan are still terrorizing the city..." Cecilia said slowly, "then they must have a new leader or somehow this 'Shredder' is still alive."

"I would assume that Eric Sacks, on one final attempt to finish what he started, is now leading the Foot Clan," Splinter speculated, "and he is searching for you for the same reason he did with my sons- he requires your blood."

The girls stared at the elderly rat in shock, which gradually turned to mortification. Cecilia spoke up. "You can't be serious. Isn't that plan a little vintage?"

"He is obsessed with the prospect of gaining recognition from that one idea." Splinter clarified. "I have seen the extent that Sacks has gone to on behalf of the Shredder. You are all in danger."

"With all respects," Sonia began, "we're in danger wherever we go. New York is literally a minefield, and we're no safer in New Jersey. What can we do? There's no way out."

Splinter closed his eyes and considered the options. Simply put, he would not allow them to walk out directly into something they were not prepared for. Sonia had explained that she had been training in jujitsu for many years, but she had much to work on, as did her sisters. It would not be a means of erasing what they had learnt, but rather building on what they already knew.

Then and there, Splinter had made a solid decision. He would train the girls in the art of ninjutsu as much as he possibly could until they were able to defend themselves to a certain extent, while monitoring their behaviour in order to deem if they were trustworthy. If he could prepare them mentally and physically, they would be able to avoid the impending dangers surrounding them from left right and center. Of course, they could not achieve such feats as his sons, considering that they had trained for the best part of a decade. But it would be enough to keep them alive.

"There is another way out." Splinter rectified, slowly getting up. "And that is to fight your way out."

"Fight?" Anna asked, cringing.

Splinter gave a short nod of his head. "After the rain, earth hardens- adversity builds character. If you are strong enough- mentally and physically- then you can overcome hardships that would have set you back for the rest of your lives."

Sonia raised a brow ridge. "I'm not sure I understand."

Splinter's following words was enough to surprise them. "I will teach you the art of ninjutsu should you choose to accept, and allow you to stay in our home for as long as you must. I cannot train you to the level of expertise that my sons show, for they live and breathe ninjutsu and have trained consistently for years. Your training will be gruelling, but I can promise that it will be worthwhile. I will give you a moment to consider it."

The girls glanced nervously at each other, quite taken aback by the offer. Whilst talking amongst themselves, Emilie disagreed completely, though Cecilia managed to convince her to change their mind. Once they'd reached an agreement, Sonia stood up to confirm their decision.

"Have you decided?" The question was burning, but she was sure. Her sisters were sure. And that was the most important thing.

"Yes. We accept."

**Xx3xX**

* * *

**Another (weird) chapter done! :D yay, chapter 7 is now in the making. Did you guys enjoy this chapter? Any questions, likes, dislikes? I'm all ears :)**

**I wrote this at a really late time, so forgive me if my words are all over the place. I was just excited to get this chapter done. I hope I've kept everyone in character, that's like my main fear when writing. If not, don't hesitate to let me know! :3**

**By the way, Sachs seems like an evil bastard, but he has a few more ideas up his sleeve. They'll only surface as the story progresses, though :)**

**FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONFUSED ABOUT SHREDDER/OROKU SAKI- I understand that Eric Sacks (yes I'm spelling his name right now) was supposed to be a replacement for Oroku Saki, but I'm following past versions of the story and making them different people :)**

**Shoutout to KatrinaSebastian and Sanzako for helping with my story! They've been assuring that I'm not going off track and that the boys and Splinter are in character :) make sure to check out KatrinaSebastian's TMNT fanfictions if you have the time! **

**I shall try to make the next chapter less weird, and I'll try get the plot running a bit more. But I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter anyway! **


	7. Just a Stupid Crush

**LONGEST CHAPTER YET! This one clocked in at 6000 words, and I don't know how it got so long. I need to start taking the whole "I'll make the chapters shorter" thing more seriously.**

**A lot happens in this chapter, I guess. Well, sorta. But I'm so so sorry that this chapter was so long. I guess it makes up for almost two weeks of no updates though, right? :)**

**I haven't had internet for a few days, so that's why I couldn't update. Sorry about that :( I'm trying to sort my life out- eg living arrangements, getting a job, school... that reminds me. **

**School has started for the year, so if it's no trouble, I'd appreciate if you guys are patient with updates. So far you've been super patient, but my update times will get slower. It's my last year of high school, and I will probably get a part time job so I will be updating but more slowly than usual. Sometimes it might take as long as two weeks, maybe more. I'll try my best to update asap though :) thanks, guys.**

**So this chapter is weird too, but what else is new? The paragraphs get a bit long too, so be careful in this labyrinth. I wish you luck :)**

**I don't own TMNT. I do, however, own some pretty neat TMNT merch. Yay!**

* * *

"_Doko ichimonji no kamae_!"

Wiping the back of her hand over her moistened forehead, Sonia adopted a defensive posture. They'd been focusing on_ kamae _and practicing katas for their first three training sessions, and it had been more gruelling than she had anticipated. Master Splinter had originally set their training sessions to four hours a day, though he allowed Cecilia, Emilie and Anna to limit themselves to two. Sonia, however, followed through with the full four hours. As Splinter had said, it was expected for a kunoichi to be diligent, but to learn at her own comfortable pace.

Eyes forward, elbows locked. Master Splinter had reiterated the importance of focus and equilibrium throughout each lesson, which Sonia had assimilated with consistent diligence. Her sisters originally lacked that trait, but were beginning to pick it up with less complaints about fatigue. From several metres ahead of her, Emilie mimicked her opponent and flashed her a deriding grin.

The sound of a wooden staff banging on the ground reverberated throughout the dojo. "Emilie. Focus!"

Sonia's older sister, eyeliner and all, scowled fractiously and resumed her allocated kamae. Sonia remained impassive, her gaze resolute. A moment of visual dissension passed between the assertive siblings, causing mild calefaction in the atmosphere.

They exchanged glances, Sonia's eyes typically unwavering._ Patience_.

Emilie smirked. _Bring it_.

The silence between them passed quickly, releasing the foreseen command. "_Hajime_!"

Strength. Control. As Sonia always said, it was all or nothing. She took a step forward, grabbed Emilie's arm and threw her over her shoulder. Emilie landed on her shell, then launched herself forward feet first which Sonia narrowly dodged. Emilie tried kicking out at Sonia, which she took as an opportunity to grab Emilie's arm again but this time throw her across the floor. Emilie tumbled to the ground and slid for a few seconds, grazing her leg in the process. Seething, she pushed herself up off the ground, and resumed her stance. Sonia took another step towards her opponent.

"_Matte_." At Master Splinter's command, Sonia halted. Emilie, however, saw this as the perfect opportunity to get the upper hand. She only got a few swipes in before Master Splinter bellowed, "_yame_!"

Frustrated, Emilie came to a complete stop and lowered her hands. She lowered her head and turned to face Master Splinter, but kept her mouth shut.

Master Splinter stepped down from his observation point, narrowing his eyes. "Emilie, why have I asked you to stop?"

Emilie took a moment to respond. "Because I ignored your command to wait."

"And why did I ask for you to wait?"

She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "Because a ninja needs to take time to examine their surroundings and find things that could help them."

"Then this is what your fourth lesson will be about." Master Splinter gestured for Emilie to stand beside him. "You must learn patience. Only if you have patience can you acquire the skill of strategy. To be quite honest, you lack that needed trait."

He glanced at Cecilia. "Cecilia, you will take Emilie's place."

"_Hai_, sensei." Cecilia moved to the opposite side of the dojo and faced Sonia, standing completely still.

"Ready- stance!"

They resumed their stances, eyes forward and trained on one another. Master Splinter gave a short nod of his head. "Focus. It goes hand in hand with patience. Watch your sisters and learn from them. To observe others is a way of diversifying your own knowledge. _Hajime_!"

The girls launched into battle while Emilie watched them with a sour look. _Okay, so what would they use? Probably nothing, knowing them. _

"Understand," Splinter told her, "that the ninja's greatest weapon is the mind."

Emilie's eyes wandered to a shadowy spot in the dojo. "One of them could hide there, I guess. I don't know."

"Good. But not in the midst of battle. Using the shadows is a way of sneaking up on your enemy. Cecilia, what are you doing?"

"I hurt Sonia!" Cecilia cried, gesturing to her staggering sibling. "I caused her to twist her ankle. I don't want to fight anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I hurt her!"

Master Splinter sighed. "_Yame_. I believe it is time for a discussion."

Three of them gathered around, and stood in silence to listen to their mentor. The youngest, of course, was missing. He'd have to reprimand her later. For now, it was a matter of pointing out their weaknesses.

"All of you have a weakness, and you must aim to overcome it. I cannot teach you how to surmount those weaknesses, as that is something only you can do in time." Master Splinter turned to Emilie. "Emilie, impatience is where your fault lies. You are quick and light on your feet, but you do not yield when told to wait. This will prove perilous when you are in a strategic situation. Your training partner will be Donatello."

"Sonia, your weakness is haste. You are strong, perhaps even resilient, but you are overconfident in your abilities and so are measured. As a kunoichi, you must learn to act quickly and be light on your feet. Michelangelo will be your partner."

Master Splinter turned to the eldest of the girls. "Cecilia, you are compassionate, and you refuse to fight if it means harming your opponent. To show mercy is certainly not a weakness, but there are times where you must fight to protect those around you. But you must remember to never fight unless absolutely necessary. Your partner will be Raphael- you will learn valuable principles from him."

"Your younger sister, wherever she may be-"

"Here!"

"Anna. Where were you?"

"Hiding in the shadows. I think I'm getting good at this ninja stuff."

Master Splinter sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "You lack focus and control, loud one. These are two very important values that will guide you to success in battle. If you are unfocused and do not have self control, you will lead your comrades astray and simply hand victory over to your opponent. Leonardo is an excellent example of one who possesses focus and control, so you will train alongside him."

Cecilia glared at her younger sister. _I'm not jealous. I'm not jealous._

"After a week of continuous training with your partners," Master Splinter continued, "we will make a slight switch, and those who share a similar _strength_ will be paired accordingly."

Cecilia remembered Master Splinter saying that her strength was strategy. _Great. So I'll be paired with the nerdy guy. What's his name again?_

Master Splinter relaxed, and wandered away from his observation point. "That is enough training for today. Please allow time to rest- we have another session tomorrow morning. Emilie, Anna, Cecilia- I am once again extending your session into two binary intervals."

Anna leaned towards Cecilia, and lowered her voice. "What does binary mean?"

"Two." Cecilia replied. "So we'll do four hours of training but take a break after two hours."

"Oh. Okay."

"You have done well." Master Splinter bowed slightly, and pressed his fist to his palm. "I am seeing good progress."

The girls bowed, responding with the same gesture. "_Arigato, sensei_."

"You are dismissed." Master Splinter straightened up, and held his hands behind his back. "Boys, it is time for your session! Be in the dojo in one minute!"

* * *

"Is the area clear?"

"By clear do you mean-"

"Of the vigilantes. Are they in the area?"

"Thermal scan shows that the vigilantes are not present, though the sector is being heavily guarded by maritime security."

Karai strode towards her henchman and plucked the binoculars out of his hands. She peered through them briefly before handing them back. "There are only ten of them. I do not see a problem."

"They're heavily armed-"

Karai cocked her head to one side. "They're not the only ones."

She glanced over her shoulder to address the faction of soldiers. "_Kougeki_!"

They followed her orders in silent conduct, falling in one by one. Karai watched with a countenance of exultation, and unclipped her two-way radio from her belt. She raised the mic to face level, pressing a button in synchronization. "Hamasaki, do you copy?"

Hamasaki's voice buzzed through the speaker. "_Affirmative_."

"What's your position?"

"_Preparing to strike. Just say the word_."

"Commence."

"_Copy that. Commencing siege. Over and out_."

Satisfied, Karai sauntered back to her observation point to monitor her colleagues. Sooner or later her presence was requested in the area, in which she had no trouble entering seeing as there was a lack of maritime security.

Switching on a small flashlight, she entered the target shipping crate and quickly examined her surroundings. Her eyes fell on the stack of metal canisters at the back of the crate, which clearly displayed labels written in bold. Nitro ethane. _Bingo._

She nodded to her henchmen. "_Hayaku_."

"_Ryoukai_." They followed her directive, moving post-haste to the back of the shipping crate. Seeing that there were no issues with her directive, Karai left the shipping crate with her cellphone to her ear.

Four dial tones passed. "_You're speaking with Eric Sacks_-"

"Cut the formalities."

His tone was calm. "_Karai. What's your status_?"

She smirked. "Higher than yours. We've located the chemicals."

"_Fantastic. I'll need double the amount of canisters, in case you've forgotten_."

Karai narrowed her eyes. "I never forget."

Regardless, she checked over her shoulder to assure her colleagues had grabbed said amount of canisters. Before long they were lugging the contraband towards her.

"Ma'am. We have the chemicals in possession."

"Good." She straightened up. "Retreat. We don't need any interruptions."

* * *

"Mikey! Dude- I mean, dudette- down! Help!"

"I'm coming, angelcakes!" Mikey called, dropping his armful of blankets and rushing across the room. He grabbed Anna's hands, and pulled her out from under the collapsed sheets. "Are you okay? You could have like, died or something!"

"I'm okay!" Anna gasped. "Thanks for saving me."

"I guess building blanket forts isn't really your thing." Mikey chuckled. "Don't worry, Anna banana. I'll finish crafting our masterpiece. You should go get the snacks. Just stay away from the Pop Tarts- Donnie licks the icing off of them and puts them back in the box. I dunno why we haven't bothered to stop buying them."

"No Pop Tarts." Anna repeated. "Got it. Don't go to Mount Doom without me!"

"I'll wait for you, angelcakes. We're Sam and Frodo, best buddies and badass Hobbits. No Hobbit gets left behind!"

Anna poked her tongue at him, then darted off to the kitchen. Leonardo stood between the fridge and the counter, silently making what looked like coffee. He didn't look pleased about it either.

Anna didn't really know Leonardo, so she was still a little iffy around him. "Um… hi."

He acknowledged her. "Hi."

She cocked her head to one side. "What are you doing?"

Leonardo sighed. He looked like he'd been dragged out of bed via the wrong side. "Making Donnie's coffee, since he's too 'busy' to make it himself."

He emptied something into the cup, which she caught a whiff of. Hazelnut creamer. Her breath hitched in her throat. _Cheyenne. _

"Hey." On hearing Leonardo's voice again, Anna's memory faded. "Could you do me a favour and take this to Donnie? I would but I've got stuff to do."

Anna nodded quickly. Anything to stop her from remembering things she didn't want to think about. "Okay."

Leonardo was relieved. "Thanks. He should be in the console room. Just knock on the archway, since he probably has his headphones on."

"Console room?"

"Where the computers are."

"Oh." She knew where that was. "Right. Sure."

Anna picked up the steaming mug, and headed for the console room. _Don't drop it, _she told herself. _Remember what happened with Sonia. Nope, don't remember that._

She reached the archway to the console room where Donatello lounged on his computer chair, drumming a pencil against a blank piece of paper. Anna could hear the music playing through the headphones that were around Donatello's neck. Maroon 5, "_Harder To Breathe_." She wondered if he was a fan.

"Um…" she knocked on the archway, hurting her hand in the process. She tried to ignore it. "Coffee delivery?"

Startled, Donatello whipped around, sending the pencil flying out of his hand. "Sh- sorry, I was kinda caught up with… stuff. I'm really sorry about that."

"It's okay." Anna said cheerfully, wondering why Donatello was apologizing. She carried his coffee over to him, which he carefully took. "Leonardo asked me to bring this to you, so…"

"Thanks." He took a sip. "I'll let him know that it's up to satisfactory standards."

_His eyes are so pretty. _"What were you doing before you threw your pencil across the room?"

He looked confused for a moment. "Well, uh… I was trying to figure out how to build a telescope. It's rather simple, but finding a decent lens with the correct magnification is more complex."

All she could understand was that he was building a telescope. "That's so cool. Do you like stars or something?"

"I… guess? Monitoring the behaviour of the solar system is pretty fascinating."

Anna bit her lip. "I don't know anything about the solar system. Cecilia tried to teach me the names of the planets, but I kept forgetting. What's the big one again?"

"I'm guessing by the "big one" you mean Jupiter. It's the largest known planet in the solar system, named after the Roman god of the sky."

"Are all the planets named after gods?"

"All except Earth. If I do a headcount," Donatello paused for a second, "there's currently eight planets since Pluto isn't counted anymore, which is sort of a serendipity. If you know your mythology, it'll be easier for you to remember them."

Anna thought for a moment. "Um… Jesus?"

Donatello laughed. "No, not Jesus. Think Roman gods."

"Thor!"

"He's Norse. We're aiming for Roman."

Anna was ready to give up. "Percy Jackson?"

"He's a fictional demigod, but it would be interesting if there was a planet named "Percy Jackson." Do you give up yet?"

"Yeah, I can't think of anyone else except for Loki." Anna murmured. "But he's Thor's brother so he must be Norse too."

"I take it you're a Marvel fan."

Anna lit up. "Totally! The Winter Soldier is my favourite movie. It's like the only one I fully understand."

Donatello smirked. "So which ones don't you understand?"

"All of them. But mostly the Avengers."

"The Avengers is easy. Loki is told to steal the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D. He royally screws it up because he angers the wrong people, and he fails to retrieve the Tesseract hence breaking his deal with the Chitauri. So he also angers Thanos. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome. Glad I could help." He took another sip of his coffee.

Anna fidgeted. "Um… Donatello?"

He paused from drinking his coffee. "Call me Donnie."

"Donnie... huh. I like it. Are you into Maroon 5?"

"Their debut album was the best." Donatello replied. He adjusted his glasses. "I'm not so sure about their new music."

"The only new-ish song I like is Moves Like Jagger. What else do you like?"

"Are we still talking about music?"

"Mhm. What about… Beyoncé?"

He shook his head. "No. Hard pass."

"Sia? Shakira? 5SOS? Taylor Swift?"

"Sia's okay, I guess. I was thinking more along the lines of Fall Out Boy, The Script, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons…"

"_I'm gonna make you bend and break, say a prayer but let the good times roll_," she sang, "_In case god doesn't show_…"

"Good song." He glanced around nervously. "And you, uh- have a nice voice."

She beamed. "Thanks. Emilie tells me I suck at singing."

"The more I think about it, the more she sounds like a carbon copy of Raph." Donatello got up, and grabbed his cup of coffee. "I should probably make a start on this telescope. You're welcome to join, but there's not much you can do in terms of helping me."

"I could just, um…" She racked her brain for an idea. "Keep you company."

He looked a little nervous, but he managed a smile. "Alright. Cool. Sorry, I'm just trying to remember your name. It's Anna, right?"

"Yep."

"Yo, Anna!" Mikey called. "I finished building the fort! Raph knocked it over so I had to start again, but it's done now! You coming or not?"

Anna was at an impasse at that point: hang out with her new best buddy, or accompany this gorgeous guy on his nerdy adventures? Well, if there was one thing she picked up from surface dwellers, it was bros before hoes. And Mikey had been pretty excited about the blanket fort, so…

"I should probably go." Anna spluttered. "I forgot about the fort and Mikey's been waiting for ages. I'm super sorry about that. Maybe we can hang out later?"

Donatello shrugged. "It's fine. I have to fix April's laptop before she gets here anyway. So I'll put the telescope on hold."

_Wait, April? Who's she? Like, his girlfriend or something? Crap. _"Oh, okay. Right on. I guess I'll see you round."

She took off before he had the chance to reply, and headed for the awesome blanket fort that Mikey was proudly showing off. She couldn't help but grin.

Bros before hoes. At least that way she wouldn't get hurt.

* * *

"Cecilia, would you kindly assist me in setting the table?" Master Splinter asked the eldest of the girls. "We have a guest this evening, so it is important that we are well prepared. Usually it is Leonardo or Michelangelo who sets the table, however they are currently preoccupied."

"Sure." Cecilia put the screwdriver aside, and strolled to the other side of the kitchen. She took the utensils that Master Splinter held out to her. "Do you often eat at the table? I'm sorry if I sound rude."

"Not at all." He replied, carefully picking up a tray with a fine china teapot. He gestured for Cecilia to follow him to the needle room. "Yes, we often eat at the table- my sons know it is a customary practice. But there are times when I allow them to eat elsewhere. It depends on what they are doing."

Cecilia nodded. "That makes sense, I guess."

"I am supposing that you follow different habits."

"We had strict habits growing up. We always sat at the table, weren't allowed to play with our food, couldn't talk with our mouths full, kept our elbows off the table..."

"In our home we do not talk during meals. It took quite some time to teach Michelangelo to follow that rule." Splinter smiled at the nostalgic memory. "We observe such a tradition because it allows us to enjoy our meals, and give praise to the earth and the one who has cooked for us."

"I love that idea." Cecilia murmured. "It sounds so uplifting."

"And it is." Splinter carefully placed small teacups around the table. "If you are balanced and at peace in terms of mind, body and soul, you'll find that life in general is so much more enjoyable."

"How do you, um... achieve balance?" Cecilia asked worriedly.

Master Splinter smiled munificently. "In time, my dear. You still have much to learn."

"_Oh Ceciliaaaa_," a voice crooned, "_you're breaking my heart, you're shaking my confidence dai-ly_-"

Cecilia groaned. "She does this all the time. What do you want, Em?"

"Nothing." Emilie smirked. "I had to check on something but I thought I'd stop to piss you off."

"Profanity." Splinter chided. "It is a weakness. You must learn to overcome it."

Even Emilie didn't mess with Master Splinter, so she just grunted and glided away. Cecilia resisted the urge to smirk. Splinter- 7, Emilie- 0.

She was about to apologize for Emilie's offensive vocabulary when she noticed Leonardo practising in the dojo. Cecilia was immedietely rendered voiceless and weak at the knees. Fixation clouded her vision. _The way he moves is mesmerizing_.

"Cecilia." Wrenched from her fantasy, Cecilia jerked her head in the direction of the voice. Sonia's steely gaze was fixed on her. "May I speak with you?"

Cecilia gave Splinter an apologetic glance. "Could you please excuse me for a second?"

He bowed his head. "Of course. Take your time."

She acknowledged him, then darted away to follow Sonia to a seclusive spot. "So, um... what did you want to talk to me about?"

Sonia turned to her, her expression serious. "Gratitude and trust are two completely different things."

Cecilia blinked. "Wait, what-"

"You're infatuated with Leonardo." Sonia snapped. "You have to stop."

"Sonia!" Cecilia hissed, her eyes darting around the room nervously. "Shut up. I'm not infatuated-"

"You are." Sonia assured her. "I've noticed it since the day we arrived here. As I was saying, gratitude and trust are not the same. You have every right to be thankful to Leonardo for sharing his space with you, but I would advise that you -

"You don't get to tell me who I should and shouldn't like."

"I'm your sister." Sonia lowered her voice. "And the last thing I want is for harm to come to you."

"Yet you're standing here telling me how to feel." Cecilia scoffed. "Look, you have trust issues, I get it. But how are we going to live our lives if we can't let others in? I'm allowed to admire Leonardo from afar, and you can't stop me. But I appreciate your concern."

"That's the problem with you. You're obsessed with the idea of love. Wake up, Cecilia, it's not going to happen."

"It's not love!" Cecilia shouted. Realising how loud she was, she wrapped her arms around herself, humiliated. "It's just a stupid crush, okay? I'll get over it."

She wanted to say more, but her emotions got the better of her. Dismayed, she stormed past Sonia, bumping her shoulder as she did so. Emilie, who'd come to see what was going on, glared at Sonia. "What the hell did you do?"

"I told her that she needs to stop herself before she gets hurt." Sonia retorted. "It was her choice to react in that way."

"Now you're really stepping up your game." Emilie growled. "Cut the shit, Sonia. I get that you're all wise and knowing, but I'm older and can tell you when to keep your fucking mouth shut. So if Cecilia's got a thing for honour boy, then that's cool. You can't control her."

"Here you go." Sonia snapped. "Attacking me again when I'm simply looking out for my family."

"Attacking you? How the fuck am I attacking you?" Emilie laughed, exasperated. "For someone so serious you're such a drama queen! Get over yourself before you get on everybody's bad side. And just so you know, Cecilia's old enough to make her own choices. So leave her alone and let her do what she wants."

With that last remark, she turned on her heel and wandered after Cecilia. Sonia watched her leave, silently seething.

Mikey poked his head out of the blanket fort. "If it makes you feel better, baby girl, I don't think you're a drama queen-"

Ignoring him, Sonia turned away and strode off. Disappointed, Mikey ducked back through the fort entrance and pouted at his friend. "Is she always like that?"

Anna picked up her can of Sprite and swirled it around. "Yep, but you're lucky she didn't yell at you. Maybe she likes you."

Mikey lit up. "Really? Sweet! Told you the ladies go for the shadow. Wait, what were we talking about before your sisters had their fourth argument since this morning?"

"Cheyenne and Declan."

"Oh. Right. So they just ditched you guys? For real?"

"Yep. I waited for ages to see if they'd come back, but they didn't."

Michelangelo leaned back on his arms. "Woah. That's harsh, dudette. How long did you wait for?"

Anna paused. "I dunno. Three years, I think."

"Three years? Man, they sound like total jerks." Mikey reached for his can of Sprite. "So, um... your sister. She's single, right?"

Anna looked up, a smile coming to her face. "Yeah, she's single. Who's asking?"

"Uh... Leo."

"Sure he is."

Mikey stifled a grin. "Okay, okay, you got me. So what does she look for in a dude?"

Anna fiddled with the beaded necklace that Mikey had given her. "Hmm... well, Emilie's the only one of us who's had any experience with a boy, so..."

"Are you serious? There's more of us out there?"

"No, he was a human. She doesn't like to talk about it. This is a crazy question, but is it weird having brothers?"

"Weird? Not like all the time, but it's weird when they leave stuff lying around. This one time Donnie dropped a piece of metal, and it was so sharp that it cut into Raph's foot. Donnie had to hide for ages until Raph calmed down."

"That's kind of like when Cecilia tried making toast and accidentally set the toaster on fire. Emilie ripped the toaster out of the wall and threw it out the window. Cecilia wasn't allowed in the kitchen for ages."

"Yum... food. Do you cook, angelcakes?"

"Me? No way. Emilie's really good at cooking, but I'm the same as Cecilia. I suck."

"If you've never blown up a toaster, you probably don't suck. I'm the official chef extraordinare here, but Leo likes to mess with my ingenious ideas. 'You sure that's safe, Mikey?' He asks that question all the time."

Anna was staring through a crevice in the blanket fort. "Is your brother an uber nerd?"

"Who, Leo? Nah, Donnie is though."

"I meant Donnie." Anna giggled.

Mikey shrugged. "He's super smart. Can't understand the stuff he's saying half of the time."

Anna watched in silence as Donatello collapsed on his computer chair and turned away to watch the large number of screens. _He's so cute_. _Is that cat playing a piano?_

"Yo, Anna. You okay?"

Her daydream dissolved. "Me? Mhm. I'm okay."

Raphael's voice floated down to them. "Mikey, get your ass out of there. Donnie's found somethin'."

Mikey jabbed at the blanket, frowning. "You shall not pass!"

"I don't give a shit. Get out before I knock whatever the hell that is over."

"Mount Doom, blanket fort style." Mikey corrected. He smiled apologetically at Anna. "Sorry angelcakes, I gotta go check this out. I might have to do some serious butt-kicking with my sidekicks."

_Ooh, butt-kicking. Sounds super cool_. "Rad. Don't talk to strangers! They're mean."

"I know, right? There was this one chick at Pizza Hut who messed up-"

"Hurry up, Mikey." Raphael snapped.

"Okay, okay." Mikey crawled backwards out of the blanket fort, stopping only to talk to Anna. "See ya, Annie. I can call you Annie, right?"

Anna grinned. "Maybe just you."

"Sweet! Hear that, Raph? I'm special. Okay, I'm moving! See? Man, some people are so impatient..."

His voice trailed off as he disappeared out of the blanket fort. Figuring there was nothing else she could do, Anna left to see if Cecilia was okay. However, she caught onto a few of the things the boys were saying on her way to the games room.

Donnie spoke first. "I'm picking up light Foot Clan activity in central New York. From what I can see, it's more concentrated in the area where a lot of valuables are on display. I'm suspecting a robbery."

"Theft is not cool!" Mikey exclaimed. "Come on, guys, we can't just let them take stuff that doesn't belong to them. I'll teach them not to mess with the shadow."

"How far away is it, Donnie?" Leonardo asked.

"Approximately ten minutes via the rooftops, five via the subway."

Leonardo was already on his way to the dojo to retrieve his weapons. "Then we take the subway. Donnie, get a track on the thieves in case we don't get there in time."

"Tracking." Donnie replied. "We've gotta hustle. Their activity is remarkably fast and we've got a 30% chance of actually apprehending them."

"I'll take it." Leonardo called.

Splinter padded into the dojo. "What is going on?"

"We've got a few issues to deal with, dad." Leonardo told him. "We'll be back later."

He turned to his brothers and sheathed his dual katana. "Let's roll, boys."

Splinter stopped them. "Wait just a moment. Aren't you forgetting something? We have a guest tonight. You cannot just disappear when she is about to arrive."

"Yeah, well, April knows the drill." Leonardo retorted. "Something happens, we save the day. Ninja business. She doesn't have a problem with it."

"Very well. I suppose you won't mind missing out on your meal."

Michelangelo's eyes widened. "You wouldn't do that to us."

"We eat as a family, Michelangelo. It is a tradition. So yes, I would."

"Come on, Sensei. Let us out there." Raphael groaned. "I've been holding out for ages. We ain't gonna take long, these guys will be easy to handle-"

"It's another Foot Clan attack." Donatello entered the dojo, and grabbed his bo staff. "Their activity is light in New York central. They're obviously up to something, Sensei, and it's most likely a robbery."

"So we need to take care of it." Leonardo eyed his mentor hopefully. "We'll return as soon as we're done. No messing around."

Master Splinter sighed irritably. "Fine, if you must. You have fifteen minutes, do you hear me?"

They were already leaving through the sewer exit mid-sentence. Deciding it was pointless to say anything else, Splinter shook his head and left to meditate. Once he was no longer visible, Anna snuck into the dojo. She warily examined her surroundings, and approached the ladder to the sewer exit. "Can one of you guys give me a boost?"

Emilie moved quietly to stand by her younger sister. "You're the jumpy one, bubbles. Get yourself up there."

Anna poked her tongue out. "Fine. I will."

She bent her knees and launched herself upwards, latching onto the closest rung of the ladder. Humming, she made her way up. Emilie went next, stopping to hang off the side of the ladder at one point. "You coming, know-it-all?"

"Are you crazy?" Cecilia hissed. "We don't even know our way around New York let alone the sewer line."

Emilie shrugged. "That's why we're going out there."

"We're exploring!" Anna giggled. "Shell-lock Holmes, Watson and Dora-"

"You're gonna get us caught, Dora." Emilie muttered. "So get your ass moving."

"I'm not Dora, I'm-"

"Move!" Emilie hissed.

"Okay, grumpypants, I'm moving."

Anna disappeared through the sewer exit, humming the theme song of Dora the Explorer. Emilie followed suit, climbing into the tunnel. She leaned over the edge to talk to Cecilia again. "We're waiting, Mrs Leonardo-something."

Fuming, Cecilia grabbed hold of the ladder. "Oh, that's it. You so just crossed the line."

* * *

"_Got me lookin' so crazy right now, your love's got me lookin' so crazy right now_-"

"Anna, shut up."

"_Lookin' so crazy, your love's got me lookin', got me lookin' so crazy in love_-"

"Seriously-"

"Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no-"

"Anna, can you stop?" Cecilia asked, irritated. "I know you're doing this on purpose."

"No I'm not, I just like that song." Anna shrugged. "_I'm doin' this tonight, you're probably gonna start a fight_-"

Cecilia huffed. "We get it, you can sing. Now stop."

"_I know that I can't take no more, it ain't no lie… I wanna see you out that door, baby, bye bye bye_…" Anna trailed off once she reached the edge of the rooftop. "Oh my gosh. Cuteness alert. Talk about being in the same place at the same time!"

Emilie followed her little sister's stare. Several feet below the next rooftop, the boys were beating the living shit out of masked guys with guns- ninja style, of course. She only got a few quick glances of them before they were out of sight again. She frowned at seeing Raphael. "Ugh. No thanks."

"_Goru goru sama!"_

_"The hell, Mikey?"_

_"It's my new battle cry, brah! You like it?"_

_"No. Never say it again."_

_"'Kay."_

Anna frowned. "Not that ugly human dude. I meant Donnie. He's adorbs."

Emilie ignored the comment about Donatello. "Yeah, and I was talking about Raphael."

"You told me you thought he was hot."

Cecilia burst out laughing. "Oh my god! Emilie, did you really?"

"No, I didn't!" Emilie snapped. "You're a bitch, Anna. Why the hell would I think he's hot?"

"But you said "Raphael is a total dick but he's still pretty hot." You told me that last night."

"You were hearing things." Emilie retorted. She turned towards the port, shielding her eyes with her hand. "We're supposed to be finding our way around, not playing stupid schoolgirls. So can we go?"

Cecilia's eyes widened. "Crap. Em, they're coming this way."

"Whatever."

"No, seriously. They're climbing the ladder." Cecilia was panicking at this point. "Oh my god, if we don't get out of here, we're dead."

"Then let's gap it." Emilie snapped, retracing her steps. "They see us and we're fucked. It's as simple as that. Anna, hurry your stupid ass up."

"I'm coming!" Anna whined, pulling herself up and meandering after her sibling. "Come on, Celia!"

Cecilia went to get up, but the sleeve of her top was caught under the ledge of the rooftop. "Shit. Guys, help!"

"For fuck's sake, Cecilia!" Emilie darted forward and grabbed Cecilia's hand. She heaved with great effort, groaning. "Jesus, you're heavy. Just take the top off! You're a freaking reptile so you don't even need it!"

"But it's the only one I have-"

"And? You can figure something else out." Emilie reached over to where Cecilia's sleeve was stuck, and tore it off. "There, it's out. Now let's go!"

Cecilia looked back at the torn sleeve, then back at her sister's hand. Reluctantly, she grabbed Emilie's hand and pulled herself up. Then she was running as fast as her legs could possibly carry her.

_Don't look back. He'll be so pissed off if he sees you. Don't let him see you as irresponsible._

_It's not even worth it, Cecilia. You don't have a chance in hell._

* * *

The girls made it back into the lair with no issues, but that was up to the point where Anna fell out of the sewer entrance and landed on her backside. For some peculiar reason her reaction was to laugh, which in turn got Master Splinter's attention and them caught. Yeah, their ninja skills were totally lacking. Splinter- 9. Lock, Shock and Barrel- nil.

Upon seeing the delinquent troublemakers, Master Splinter raised an eyebrow. "Your absence did not go unnoticed. Where were you?"

Emilie was about to speak when Cecilia stepped forward. "Sensei, it was my fault. I was upset so Anna and Emilie suggested we go out. I should have said no, but I didn't. I was obsessed with the idea of being audacious and impressive. I'm sorry."

"Impressive to whom?" Master Splinter asked. "Risking your life recklessly is not impressive, my dear."

Cecilia looked away. "It doesn't matter. Can I just… be alone for a while?"

Emilie's expression softened. "Sis…"

Master Splinter saw no need in questioning Cecilia any further. Her posture was enough to indicate that she'd learnt her lesson. "For as long as you need to be. If you miss out on dinner, I will have somebody bring you your meal."

"Cecilia."

She paled. _Leonardo._

Trembling, Cecilia slowly turned to face the calm leader. In one hand he held a piece of pink fabric. She bit down on her lip and she glanced at the floor. _You've screwed up. The only thing you should do now is not look at him. _

His voice was chilling. "Is this yours?"

She dared herself to look at the torn seam of her top, and back to the pink cloth in Leonardo's hand. Cecilia swallowed, and looked up to meet his glare. She wanted to seem composed, unaffected. "Yeah, it's mine."

Leonardo didn't move. "Why did you follow us?"

Master Splinter started forward. "Leonardo."

Cecilia found her voice then. "I wasn't following you."

"Then this must have magically appeared on the rooftop."

"I'm being completely honest here, I didn't follow you." Cecilia protested, humiliated. "I needed fresh air so I snuck out, and I just happened to see you guys fighting or whatever. I watched for like five seconds, then my sleeve got stuck. So I'm sorry if I got in your way."

Leonardo didn't look convinced, but he let the accusations go anyway. "Well now you've seen the Foot Clan in action, and that's not even half of the extent they're willing to go to. You haven't seen them at their worst."

Emilie smirked. "You act as if you care."

Raphael glared at her. "Shut your mouth, half pint. No one asked you."

"Bite me." Emilie snapped.

"Raphael." Master Splinter interjected, his voice stern. "Emilie. Enough."

"She could have been killed, Sensei." Leonardo protested. "It's dangerous out there, and if she thinks it's all some kind of game-"

Master Splinter brought his staff down on the floor with a loud _bang_. "Leave her. You have said enough."

Leonardo closed his mouth. Frustrated, he gave Cecilia one last glare, then marched past her. It wasn't in his nature to argue, but moving on was. It would only be a matter of minutes before he'd be completely over it.

_He's disappointed._ Tears pricked the corners of Cecilia's eyes. She forced herself to close them. _Don't cry. Crying is a weakness. _

Silently she excused herself, and headed straight for the games room. She just needed time alone. _It's just a stupid crush_.

"You guys wouldn't believe how much traffic I had to put up with to get here." A voice called. It grew nearer with the clacking sound of high heels. "Sorry I'm so late. I brought dessert to make up for-"

An auburn-haired young woman with a yellow jacket came into view, and she stopped in her tracks when she noticed Emilie and Anna. Her bag fell from her grip, landing with a thud on the floor.

"-it. Oh my god."

* * *

**Leonardo was a bit out of character when dealing with Cecilia, I'll admit. But he has a lot on his plate- the foot clan are back, which entails that Shredder will return (well really who knows, lets see how the story goes), he's a teenage guy (duh, angst) and he has to share his space with girls (big influence). Which, for a guy who has never had to live with a girl, would be pretty hard to take in. So Leo's a bit out of whack, and I'm sorry if you're thinking "Leo doesn't deal with problems like that."**

**Now Nightwing, I'm going to be brutally honest and say I'm sorry, but I won't be featuring "Storm Stark" in my fanfiction. It would jumble the plot, and I don't really want a crossover occurring. Besides, if she's Donnie's girlfriend, who's his counterpart (one of my OC's) going to get with? It would be confusing. I hope you don't mind. I really am sorry. Please don't kill me ;^; **

**You guys are all super amazing and your comments are lovely. I enjoy getting good feedback, even critical, but it's nice knowing there are people enjoying my fanfiction. And to answer some burning questions, I am indeed mixing up personalities. I go by the whole opposites attract thing, so you know... and now April has come into the picture. What shall they do? (^.o.)^**

**I hope you don't mind that Donatello was listening to Maroon 5 in the chapter. I sorta took him for a fan, but only of their debut album. Ish.**

**Stay tuned for chapter 8! Love you guys!**


	8. April Meets the Girls and Stuff

**CHAPTER EIGHT IS HERE ALREADY? **

**I know, I freaked out too. I didn't expect to update for another two or so weeks, but here it is :) a bit of a rushed chapter, I guess. But I literally have a checklist of what each chapter is going to be about/what it will include, and I just write from there. But yay, April is in this chapter! Though not for very long, so I'm sorry about that. But I promise that April will actually have a legit role in this story and that she'll appear more than once. I can also see April as someone who will ship certain turtles together, and will try and encourage them to "go for it." **

**From this chapter onward, the crushing/sort of cute stuff will start to kick in. So if you don't like cute stuff, I suggest you read this chapter patiently and try not to murder me. I usually hate romantic stuff, but I'm making an exception for you guys. Count yourselves lucky :)**

**In this chapter Leo should be over himself, which is of course always good. No one likes it when Leo is a jerk, because that's just not Leo. **

**This sounds weird, but please let me know if you think Donnie is out of character. He should probably be more awkward, since he's a stereotype nerd, but I've always seen him as sorta laid-back while also slightly awkward. He's comfortable around Anna since she's rather awkward as well, but you know... he's Donnie. So don't hesitate to let me know if he's a little OOC.**

**On with the chapter! Again, I don't own TMNT, though I wish I did. I'd be taking over the next movie right now and making sure they add Casey Jones. **

_Every night I go, every night I go sneaking out the door_

_I lie a little more, baby I'm helpless_

_There's something 'bout the night, and the way it has all the things I like_

_Little black butterflies deep inside me_

_What would my mama do, if she knew 'bout me and you?_

_What would my daddy say, if he saw me hurt this way?_

**Mama do- Pixie Lott**

* * *

"Oh my god." April glanced between the two terrapins, gradually growing paler. "That's not-"

Emilie crossed her arms. "Not what?"

April hesitated. "Possible. Oh my god…"

"Anything's possible." Emilie retorted. "You just have to _believe_. Cue the glitter and ridiculously high-pitched singing."

"Who's she!?" Anna ducked behind Donatello, gripping his shell with trembling fingers. "Why is there a human here!?"

Splinter smiled and went to embrace April. "Be calm, loud one. April is family. She is not censorious."

Anna paused. "What does that mean?"

"She's not judgemental." Donatello supplied. "As a matter of fact, April is the reason we're alive."

The youngest of the girls stared at April as if she were a higher power. "Wow. That's so cool. Wait, did you say April?"

"Yeah, angelcakes, that's April." Mikey replied, and wrapped his arms around the brunette for a hug. "My number one girl."

_So is she Donnie's girlfriend or something? She's pretty. Like… not fair pretty. _Anna tried to maintain a smile. "Oh. Okay. Hi."

April had obviously seen too many weird things in one day, and she wasn't up for this. "… hi. I'm sorry if I sound rude, I just… wasn't expecting this, if you know what I mean. Have I missed a lot?"

"By a lot I assume you mean the arrival of the girls." Master Splinter gestured to Emilie and Anna. "I believe the other two are absent, for reasons I'd rather not know. But it has indeed been a tremendous change… though certainly not an unpleasant one."

April's eyes widened. "There's another two? Oh my god."

"You've said that about three times now." Emilie muttered.

April's hands flew to both sides of her head, and she pressed her palms against her temples. "I can't believe it. I never knew that there were more turtles… this is crazy. I honestly don't understand."

"Whoa whoa whoa, angel, chill out." Mikey rested a hand on April's shoulder to steady her. "Don't need you passing out again."

"I think I'll be fine." April said breathlessly. "Thanks Mikey. But seriously… how did this happen? I mean, I never knew about it…"

"Sachs tried to repeat Project Renaissance in the following year after the lab fire. From what I understand, this was the result." Donatello replied, awkwardly gesturing to Emilie and Anna.

"This is incredible." April shook her head, gaze shifting between the girls. "But I know that these ones aren't mine. Unless I'm wrong, I only took care of four turtles."

Emilie looked at her as if she were stupid.

"No, dear, they are not yours." Master Splinter chuckled.

"Thank God." April sighed. "I mean, I know I have a pretty bad memory, but forgetting about four other turtles would be kind of terrible."

"You need not worry." Splinter said. "They have their own story, which they may tell only if they wish to do so. But first, allow us to sit down and enjoy our meal. It is, after all, what we invited you here for."

As Master Splinter allowed it for the occasion, April and Emilie had a profound conversation over past events while they ate. Emilie seemed to be comfortable with discussing everything with April as she took a shine to her, though she circumvented around the whole heartbreak issue. She and Mikey had collaborated on making dinner, which turned out to be a delicious medley of steamed jasmine rice, Thai hot soup and rice paper rolls stuffed with steamed vegetables. Master Splinter brought a teapot full of fragrant lemon tea to the table, and patiently filled each cup. Sonia and Cecilia were absent, so Anna kindly took their meals to them. She brought one plate back, pouting.

"Sonia's practicing." She said, biting her lip. "She said she didn't want dinner and for me to leave her alone."

Leonardo shook his head. "She's gonna overexert herself."

"My poor angelcakes." Mikey murmured. "Imma go ask if she's okay."

"Leave her be, Michelangelo." Master Splinter said. "If one requires solitude, they are entitled to it."

"'Kay." Mikey went back to eating. "This rice stuff is rad. From now on, Em, you're my co-chef in crime."

Emilie smirked. "Sure, why not."

"Did you make the soup, Mikey?" April asked. "It's amazing."

"Yep." Mikey beamed. "Thanks, angelcakes. You should totally let me cook for you some time."

His brothers smirked and rolled their eyes. April smiled nervously, and continued eating. Master Splinter saw that as a cue to initiate an important conversation.

"Now, April." He said, sitting up. "You were saying that you witnessed another Foot Clan siege."

April put her spoon down and bit her lip. "I'd heard about Foot Clan activity distributed throughout the city, so I knew it had to mean that Shredder was alive or they had another leader. So I did a little investigating and witnessed another robbery at the docks. They were stealing more of the toxin they planned to use last year… but this time I'm guessing they took more canisters."

Emilie looked up. "How many did they take last time?"

"I'm not sure on how many, exactly." April sighed. "But by the time I got there, the shipping crate was almost empty. So I'd say enough for a double hit."

"Why would they hit the city twice?" Leonardo asked, confused. "Pretty much everyone would be dead, so there would be no one left to save."

April shrugged. "Maybe they know that it's possible they could be stopped again, so they have more of the toxin as a back-up plan. That's what I think anyway."

Donatello got up and took his plate. "I have a weird feeling about this. I'm gonna go look into it… see if I can find anything else."

April smiled at him, then put her spoon aside and turned to Emilie. "So they know about you? About the fact that the mutation was successful, I mean."

"Yeah." Emilie shrugged. "And they're looking for us. To repeat some stupid toxin experiment, I guess."

April chewed her lip. "Maybe that's why they were taking more canisters of toxin than they did last time. But they don't know where you are, right?"

"Probably not, I mean, that Sachs dude thinks we're in New Jersey. So I don't think he'd ever guess that we're here."

"He'll find out eventually." Leonardo interjected. "Since he'll probably check on us and see if it's worth trying again with the whole antidote thing."

Raphael pushed his plate aside. "I'm done. Thanks, Mikey."

Mikey gestured to Emilie. "I can't take all the credit."

Ignoring him, Raphael got up and left. Emilie resisted the urge to run up to him and stab him in the eye with her fork.

"Prick." She muttered under her breath.

"Sorry 'bout him." Mikey said sheepishly. "He can be a real jerk sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Leonardo chuckled, earning a glare from Master Splinter.

"I noticed." Emilie replied, finishing her last mouthful. As it was a habit of hers, she took her own plate and the plates of those who were finished, and left the table. Anna also took it as her cue to leave, so she thanked Mikey before aimlessly following her sister. April waited until they were gone before speaking again.

"I'm still in denial over this." She shook her head. "I have to admit... this is all a lot to take in."

Leonardo smirked. "We know how you feel."

April managed a smile. "Crazy, right?"

"Totally." Mikey agreed. "What were we talking about again?"

"Nevermind." April got up, and collected her bag. "I'm really sorry to leave on such short notice, but I have to work on a report. Channel 6 is thinking of hiring me again, as long as I get a good report going."

"That's wonderful news, my dear." Master Splinter replied. "We wouldn't want to keep you. Be safe out there."

"Do you need a ride home?" Mikey asked.

April slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll take the subway. Thanks though, guys. I'll be over for a visit sometime soon."

Master Splinter bowed his head. "We look forward to it."

* * *

After the girls had hit the four hour mark, Master Splinter dismissed Cecilia, Emilie and Anna but requested that Sonia stayed for another ten minutes. Sonia was the most competent of her sisters, so Master Splinter wanted to focus on refining her skills to the point where her sisters could perceive her as a role model.

From opposite Sonia, Michelangelo grinned enthusiastically, swinging his nunchaku with total deftness. He'd made quite a big deal about trying to impress let alone get the attention of the impassive Sonia, and no matter how many times she ignored him, he pursued her.

And no matter how many times he tried, she remained uninterested.

"You're so beautiful, angelcakes." Mikey said breathlessly, almost in a daze at that point. "Like, you wouldn't ever need a weapon. Your looks could seriously kill."

Sonia didn't respond. She just narrowed her eyes, unmoving from her stance, and raised the bokken so it was eye-level. Master Splinter saw Sonia as a potential wielder of a single katana, so he'd set to training her to use a wooden sword.

Mikey pretended to be scared. "Please don't hurt me, baby girl. This face is too awesome to mess up."

Sonia narrowed her eyes. "I can't guarantee that I won't hurt you."

"Oh my God, you totally just talked." Mikey said excitedly. "You talked to me. So now that we're talking and stuff, we should get pizza some time. Not like a date. Well, it can be a date if you want it to be-"

"No."

Mikey's face fell. "That's cool, totally cool. Maybe a training date then? Ninjas gotta have love lives too, baby girl."

"Ninjas are also required to train," Master Splinter interrupted, "and pay attention. Eyes focused, Michelangelo."

Mikey was practically swooning over Sonia at this point. "Don't worry, Sensei. They're totally focused..."

"If I called that focus," Master Splinter continued, "I would clearly be disoriented. _Hajime_!"

Mikey took a step forward then withdrew as if mocking his opponent, his nunchaku held securely under his arms. He lingered while she tentatively moved towards him, and he faked a yawn. "Come on, angelcakes, I'm missing my favorite show."

Exasperated at Mikey's derision of her (which he'd done a few times during their earlier training session), Sonia dug her fingers into the wooden handle of the bokken and rushed forward, slashing it when she was in close proximity with her opponent. Mikey executed an impressive aerial manoeuvre over the blade, taking Sonia by surprise.

"Too slow." He goaded. "Come on, you can do better than that, right?"

"Enough!" She barked, lashing out at him again. "Just fight me!"

"Whoa!" Without trouble, Mikey dodged the oncoming wooden blade, and repelled the next hit with his nunchaku. "No need for violence, beautiful! That thing could be dangerous!"

Sonia's temper flared. "Shut up!"

Master Splinter banged his staff on the ground. "Be calm, Sonia, do not let your temper control you."

Mikey was literally dancing away from the sweeping movements of the bokken at this point. "_This girl is on fireeeeeeeee_..."

Exhausted but persevering, Sonia held the bokken above her head like she'd been taught to do, and waited. She allowed herself to calm down, her eyes never leaving her opponent. Mikey, seeing that Sonia wasn't after him anymore, unfurled his nunchaku and hit out at her. Being hasty and fluid in his movements, Mikey landed the hit, and Sonia stumbled.

Mikey's face fell. "Oops. Sorry, baby!"

Sonia ignored him. _Strength. Focus. Control. Haste. Haste is your weakness._

This time his nunchaku hit the blade of her sword, and she met his wide-eyed gaze. Utilizing all of her strength, she pushed at his nunchaku, driving them back.

_You're not good enough._

Stricken, Sonia stumbled, completely missing Mikey's next movement. The nunchaku hit her in the face this time, and she fell to the ground. The bokken clattered on the floor.

"Crap! I'm so sorry, baby!" Mikey cried, running towards Sonia. Knowing she didn't appreciate physical contact, he stuck with offering her his hand. "Are you okay? You have some awesome skills, you know. I'm seriously sorry for hurting you. But since I've won, you should totally date me and we'll call it even."

"Charming." Sonia replied breathlessly, taking Mikey's hand and allowing him to help her up. "By now you've certainly demonstrated that you're an adept martial artist. But I'm still not interested."

Mikey grinned. "You will be, angel. After I save the world again, you'll totally wanna date me. And I'll still be here thinking about how crazy beautiful you are."

She scoffed, not at all impressed. "Oh, please. Spare me your little dramatics."

"No really, you're-"

Sonia glanced at Master Splinter. "May I be dismissed?"

Master Splinter bowed his head approvingly. "You may. Your efforts today were of merit standards, Sonia."

"Arigato, sensei." Sonia bowed in response, then straightened up and gave Mikey a quick glance before leaving. Mikey stood there for a moment, confused.

"Chicks are weird." He said. "Right, Sensei?"

Master Splinter blinked. "I'm sorry Michelangelo, but in case you hadn't noticed, Sonia is a reptile. Much like yourself."

"Wha- oh." Mikey tried to stifle a laugh. "Not that kind of chick. I mean she's a girl. Chick. Girl. Girls are weird."

Master Splinter shook his head, and lightly prodded his son with his staff. "You say the strangest things, my son."

* * *

Anna took a deep breath. _Don't annoy him, Anna. Just act natural. Wait, am I really that annoying?_

When she was younger, she generally irked her peers to the point where they bluntly told her to "get lost." Anna wasn't exactly sure how to refrain from being annoying, since she just did what she felt was natural. So telling herself to act natural was realistically a mistake on her part.

To Anna, Donatello was totally crush-worthy. He was cute, funny, awkward and charming. She could extend on his traits for at least ten minutes, but then she'd be procrastinating from her little goal. Which was to see how many more traits of his she could expand on.

Holding her breath, Anna knocked on the archway to the console room, making sure to refrain from using her knuckles this time. Donatello didn't seem to hear due to his headphones, but he did notice her standing there.

"Hey." He said loudly. He paused. "Am I yelling?"

Anna gestured as if to say "a little." Smiling sheepishly, Donatello removed his headphones and put his laptop aside. "Let me try that again. Hey, Anna. What's up?"

Anna glanced skywards. "Um… the roof?" _Haha, you're so funny…_

He looked like he'd heard that one about a million times before. "Very original. I would have gone for something like "nothing much" or if I wanted to be a smartass, "the galaxy and whatever else is contained in the universe." But nevertheless, I applaud your creativity."

Not knowing whether he was joking or not, she laughed nervously. Realising how stupid she sounded, she cleared her throat. "So… what are you doing?"

"Watching a movie." He replied, gesturing to his laptop screen. "Prometheus, to be precise. There's been controversy over the theories, and I want to see if I can conjure one myself."

Anna despised herself for failing to understand most of the stuff that Donnie said. "What's it about?"

Donnie took his glasses off and cleaned them on his ripped jeans. He looked good with his glasses, but God, he was hot without them. "Has anyone told you that you ask a lot of questions?"

Anna felt a pang of shame. "Scientists also ask a lot of questions, right?"

The expression on Donatello's face changed completely, and he gave Anna an inquistive look. It was as if he'd just changed his mind about her then and there. "Yeah. I guess they do."

Feeling rather uncomfortable, Anna decided it was appropriate to take her leave. She shouldn't be making excuses to see Donnie, since it was clear that he was already put off by her. You're annoying, Anna. Stupid and annoying and boring. He wants you to go away.

She'd only just turned to leave when he stopped her. "Hold on."

Anna pivoted to face him. His expression was more concerned this time. "Are you okay? Did I offend you or something?"

She shook her head. "No." Her voice was dry.

The next thing he did was totally unexpected- he pulled a chair up beside his. "I can't guarantee you a cinema experience, but I can promise an eventful and likely interesting movie. That's if you're not preoccupied with my younger brother."

Trying to keep her excitement at a mininum, Anna nodded and took a seat beside her new friend. Breathing in his scent, she felt dizzy. She couldn't exactly figure out what it is, but it was definitely pleasant. Focus on the movie, or he'll totally think you're creepy. "You didn't answer my question, by the way."

"Ah. Right. Well, the movie is about a group of archaeologists who arrive on a planet that's light years away from Earth. They find signs of civilization, and eventually actual evidence which leads them to believe that they've discovered the birthplace of mankind." He restarted the movie, and shifted around in his chair to get comfortable. "The opening scene has a huge role in the establishment of life on Earth."

"But…" She watched as the alien who'd just leaped into a waterfall disintegrated, leaving nothing but DNA molecules floating about. "If the planet is so far away from Earth, how could that ripped alien dude create life on Earth?"

He gave her another inquisitive look, but this time he was smiling. "I guess we'll find out."

Watching further, Anna figured out that the alien came to Earth via a massive spaceship. But now she was questioning why. It was a silent question, and the answer was silent. She'd find out.

Donnie shook his head, his eyes still focused on the screen. "This movie throws the theory of evolution entirely."

"Is that where stuff came out of the sea and turned into monkeys?"

He laughed. "Who knows. Scientists are still trying to understand the birth of life. People are entitled to their own beliefs, be religious or scientific, but I'm swaying towards the idea that life spawned from the inert chemicals of the earth and evolved from simians into human beings. Organic molecules could have been synthesized during the production of earth, and rained down into the oceans hence laying the foundation for evolution."

She stared at him. "Huh?"

He looked a little embarrassed. "You'll… understand. Eventually, I guess."

Anna continued to stare, but then she smiled fondly. "You're like… so smart."

Donnie didn't say anything. He just smiled back.

After a little awkwardness, they turned back to the movie, rewinding whatever part they'd missed out in the midst of that awkwardness. The movie took the best part of two hours, and strangely enough, Anna stayed immersed. She was never really a fan of sci-fi, but she furtively wanted to impress Donnie. Just being in close proximity to him made her fervent. At this stage it was merely a crush, but her sisters had voted her as "Most Likely To Fall In Love Recklessly Because She Is Young And Stupid." She wasn't sure if she liked that title.

By the end of the movie, Anna was terribly confused. Her highly intelligent companion, however, seemed to have it sussed in a nanosecond.

"I understand why others have trouble with theorizing the film, since the possibilities are endless." Donnie's eyes were wide behind his glasses. "But going by my own theory, the film was simple to understand."

Anna stared at the rolling credits blankly. "I'm so confused."

"Understandable. It is a rather complicated storyline. Plot holes galore... deliberately left for the viewer to fill in, I'm assuming."

"I didn't like the part where the alien came out of that guy's chest." Anna mumbled, shuddering.

Donnie grinned. "Classic reference to Alien. The films are in the same universe, so what better way to establish that to viewers than show a graphic scene of a xenomorph bursting through some unsuspecting character's thorax?"

Anna giggled. "Yuck."

"While it's gross it's also interesting... in a way."

"It's just gross." She poked her tongue out. Noticing that he was now bringing up the search bar on Youtube, she felt a little excitement. "Ooh, ooh! Have you seen all the Harry Potter puppet video things? They're so cute!"

"Only the Mysterious Ticking Noise." He narrowed his eyes. "That song was stuck in my head for three days."

"You should watch the wizard-swearing one. It's really funny." She bit her lip before she spoiled anything else. "The ending is the best."

He chuckled. "Okay, okay. I'll watch it. But what would I get out of watching it?"

"You get to learn rad wizard swear words."

"Sounds like a reasonable excuse." He typed the video title into the search bar and clicked on a video link. "If I can swear like Dumbledore, I'd probably be one badass wizard."

By the time they'd gone from "Voldemort's nipple" to "Hagrid's butt-crack" to "Dobby's sock", Donnie was convinced that none of these swears would get him to Dumbledore-level. He literally face-palmed each time the characters came up with another seemingly obscene word. Anna, on the other hand, was now swearing like a wizard sailor in between fits of laughter.

"Leprechaun taint." She giggled. "Swish and flicker."

"Language." Donatello chided, though he was smirking. "Ten thousand points from Hufflepuff."

"Why Hufflepuff?" She asked, pouting.

"Because it suits you." He chuckled.

"Five million points from Ravenclaw for being mean."

"Anna!" Mikey called. "You have to come check this out!"

Donnie instantly changed face. Anna briefly wondered if he was jealous. "You're being hailed."

She smiled sheepishly. "Um… sorry?"

He shrugged. "Don't be."

Deciding she should just leave him be, Anna got up and wandered off to find Mikey. Donatello watched her leave, then turned back to his laptop.

"Girls are complicated." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

Emilie was so ready to give up.

She'd hit her head about twice now trying to get the sugar down from the top shelf. Her task was to make dessert, but it wasn't going very well at this stage. She honestly wanted to break the shelf. But, you know, being in someone else's home, she refrained from doing that.

"What the hell..."

Emilie glanced over her shoulder to see Raphael standing just metres away from her, watching with narrowed eyes. Emilie fired a cocky grin in his direction, and he scowled in response.

"You're gonna break your neck doin' that." He muttered.

"Yeah, well, I don't need your help." Emilie snapped.

"I wasn't gonna help you."

"Cool. Now piss off." She reached up again to grab the sugar, but toppled off of the counter and landed on the kitchen floor. Grumbling, she pulled herself up and dusted off her black denim vest, then climbed up onto the counter. It was only seconds before she felt hands on her waist, and she was lifted up to the level of the shelf she was aiming for.

"Put me down, you massive green turd!" She barked. "If you don't fucking put me down right now, I'll punch you so hard your man boobs will concave!"

Raphael sighed, and bit down on his toothpick. "Just shut up and grab what you're lookin' for."

Pissed off, Emilie grabbed the sugar container. She looked over her shoulder, and noticed that Raphael was watching her.

Emilie narrowed her eyes. "What are you looking at?"

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Nothin' worth caring about."

"You stare at yourself?" She grinned sadistically. "That's a little desperate. Now put me down."

He scowled, but did as he was told. "You think you're so smart, huh, princess?"

"Way smarter than you, half-inch."

"Oh, you callin' me half-inch? You ain't even seen the full package, little miss sunshine."

"You're all talk." She snapped. "I bet a 'surface-dweller' has better dick game than you."

Now he was seething. "Here's your opportunity to finish what you started, half pint. You think you can throw a punch? Go ahead and see how far you get."

Emilie pulled her fist back, her eyes locked on the hulking terrapin before her. Seconds passed, and she hadn't moved. Master Splinter's voice resonated through her mind. You must remember to never fight unless absolutely necessary. Be more honourable than your enemy.

Deciding against it, she lowered her fist, grabbed the headphones Donatello had lent her off of the counter, and pushed past Raphael. He was beyond unimpressed.

"So you're just walkin' away, huh, half pint?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Always knew you were weak."

Emilie shrugged. "Nah. You're just not worth it."

* * *

_Okay, what's his next move going to be? He's nowhere near predictable. Crap. There is literally no way I'm going to beat him._

Then came the dreaded word. "Check."

Cecilia frowned. "Really?"

Donatello smirked. "Yes, really. Make your next move or we'll be here all day."

Cecilia huffed, and focused on the chessboard. Donatello had literally put her in the position so no matter where she moved her king piece, he could claim check again in his next move. She spotted what she thought was a chance for redemption, and moved her king piece. "Ha. Now who's boss?"

"Still me." Donatello moved his piece forward, taking one of Cecilia's with it, which placed him directly in front of Cecilia's king piece. "Check."

"Screw you."

"And here I thought this was friendly competition."

Pouting, Cecilia moved her king piece, and closed her eyes. "Not anymore. Just get it over and done with."

Several painful seconds passed before he spoke again. "Checkmate. Donatello- 3, Cecilia- nil."

At that moment Leonardo happened to walk past, and upon noticing him Cecilia froze. _Oh god. Is he still angry with me? I should apologize, right? Or is he busy? Um…_

"Leo." Donnie called, sweeping his remaining pieces from the board. "Want to play the winner?"

"No thanks, Don." Leonardo replied, passing to the next room in a matter of moments.

Donnie shrugged. "His loss. Are you up for getting tragically beaten again?"

"No thank you." Cecilia said quickly, getting up. "You're an impressive player, though. Why don't you teach Anna how to play?"

Donatello immediately tensed up. "I'd rather not."

"Why not? She really likes you."

He was obviously trying to avoid the subject. "I have a telescope I need to finish putting together. So I'm sorry to ditch at short notice, but duty calls."

Cecilia raised a brow ridge._ Okay. That was a little weird._

She remembered Leonardo, and followed the path he took. The lights in the lair were dimmed so Cecilia felt a little off about casually walking around, but that was just her. Thankfully when she found Leonardo, he was on his own- sitting in the dojo polishing his dual katana with a small cup of tea beside him. She knew he liked herbal tea, since he'd told her that the other day.

When he noticed her, he smiled decorously. "Hey."

_He smiled. That's good, right?_ She smiled back inanely. "H-hi."

He raised a brow ridge, and she noticed that he wasn't wearing a mask. She'd seen him without a mask before, but never really paid attention. And god, he was attractive. "Everything alright?"

"I was, um… coming to get a little more practice in," she lied, "but I noticed you were here though so I thought…"

She trailed off, and he raised a brow ridge. _Just say it._

Cecilia cleared her throat. "I thought I should say sorry."

"For what?" He asked, gliding the cloth over one of the silver blades.

Not really wanting to remember the events of the previous night, she gave a quiet sigh. "Everything that happened last night, I guess. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was following you."

Leonardo remained silent for a moment, but then he shrugged. "No big deal. Just watch your back out there next time. This city doesn't exactly sleep."

He got up, and went to stow his weapons. "Sorry if I overreacted. I had a lot going on. The whole "return of the Foot Clan" thing was kinda unexpected, so…"

"No no, it's okay." Cecilia said quickly. "I understand. Well, I don't really, I mean it's probably pretty huge. But you don't have to apologize."

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Okay then. How's the training going?"

Cecilia glanced around, expecting someone else to be in the room. She was the only one apart from Leonardo himself. "I-it's okay, I guess. I'm just making a lot of mistakes."

"You don't learn overnight. It takes practice." He told her. "It took me a year and a half to get to the point I wanted to reach."

"The point you wanted to reach?"

"My goal." He took one of the wooden practice swords, and easily twirled it in his right hand. "If you wanna succeed, set goals. Just don't overexert yourself. Your sister does a lot of that."

Cecilia giggled. "She's obsessed with trying to be the best."

"One day she'll pay for it." Leonardo rolled his neck and loosened his shoulders. "I've got time if you're wanting to practice."

Cecilia could have fainted if not for the fact that she wanted to stay conscious to remember that offer. Her heart thundering in her chest, she smiled demurely. "Okay. Just go easy on me."

* * *

As soon as Donatello reached the console room, he stopped in his tracks.

Standing proudly on his workbench was the telescope, already put together from the parts he'd salvaged, and in perfect proportion. He slowly approached the contraption and pushed lightly at it to test its stability. Every screw and bolt was in place and tightly done, so there was no problems with its solidity. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a variety of telescope lenses lying on a cloth, polished and ready for fitting, beside the lens cap.

He didn't remember putting the telescope together, and he knew it couldn't have been any of his brothers. So it had to be one of the girls, and he knew that Cecilia was their official inventor. Perhaps she saw it lying around and just needed to put it together. Donatello didn't really care. He'd been in Cecilia's place often so he understood where she was coming from.

He glanced over his shoulder, and caught sight of Anna before she disappeared around the archway. It took a moment for Donatello to register what just happened, and when he finally did, his glasses comically fogged up. So maybe it wasn't Cecilia after all. That was certainly unexpected.

Maybe Anna was a little brighter than Donatello took her for. But then again she didn't strike him as a genius. No, she was complete idiocy with a touch of effervescence and some daftness here and there. They didn't clash. So in Donatello's mind, that was the recipe for the perfect girl.

Anna wasn't clever, but nor was she completely stupid. She was thoughtful. Creative. Attentive. Compassionate. He looked at the world with a scientific point of view, whereas she was just curious and open-minded. She didn't theorize, she just watched everything unfold around her with pure fascination and ludicrous questions. Nothing like himself, but rather his complete opposite. Yet she was more magnetizing than any of the four metals.

She was confusing, but that was why Donatello found her interesting. It was like figuring out a complex puzzle or solving a mathematical equation. Discovering an aesthetic innovation. Or an astronomical phenomenon. Or proposing an ideological theory on the causal nexus leading to the reactants of ardour.

Nope. No way. Not happening. Paradoxical thoughts like those would completely throw him off track.

But the telescope was still pretty cool. So he had to credit her for that.

* * *

Smiling to herself, Cecilia went back to the games room to prepare for bed. The fact that she'd pissed Leonardo off had been bugging her all day, and the fact that he easily forgave her lifted a weight off of her shoulders. She even had the smallest hope for a chance with him, but…

She glanced at Sonia, who was meditating. Well, trying to at least. She was obviously struggling. Since when does Sonia meditate? Deciding it wasn't worth caring about, Cecilia grabbed her toothbrush and tried to remember where the bathroom was.

Just then she felt someone's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and she looked down to see Anna hugging her. Beaming, Cecilia wrapped her arms around her little sister. It was times like these where she just needed the comfort of her siblings to make everything completely better.

"Thank you for helping me with that telescope." Anna whispered.

"That's what I'm here for." Cecilia replied. "Did you see his reaction?"

Anna let go and looked up at her elder sister, her eyes shining. "I think he liked it."

"I'm glad." Cecilia smiled. "But you shouldn't have to try and impress a guy, Anna. If he likes you for who you are, then that's all that matters."

"I think I made him grumpy though." Anna said wearily, playing with her necklace. "I just wanted to make him smile again."

_Oh my god, my sister is adorable_. "You're a dork. But I'm sure you did."

Anna's smile grew even wider if that were possible, and she darted off to presumably find Michelangelo. Rolling her eyes, Cecilia turned to Emilie. "One day all that excitement will kill her."

Emilie shrugged, and took a swig from her can of Orange Crush that Mikey had secretly given her. "So she likes the nerd. Here I thought she'd be head over heels for her new best buddy."

"Are you drinking Orange Crush?" Cecilia asked, raising a brow ridge.

"Yeah. What's the big deal?"

"I thought you hated it."

Emilie gave her a dull look. "No, you dick, I hate Pepsi. Learn your sodas."

She had another swig, then sauntered out of the room. "I'm gonna go challenge honour boy to another game."

Cecilia tensed up. "What kind of game?"

Noticing her sister's little twinge of jealousy, Emilie grinned malevolently. "Strip poker."

Cecilia's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm kidding." Emilie sighed. "It's just cards minus the stripping. Never thought honour boy was a cards player."

"Don't you even think about-"

"Oh, give it a rest and quit being so obsessive." Emilie snapped. "I'm not interested in him, okay? He's not my type."

Sonia, disturbed from her 'meditating', opened one eye. "Then who is your type?"

"This can of Orange Crush." With that last comment, Emilie glided off. "Au revoir, bitches."

Cecilia waited until Emilie was out of earshot, then glanced at Sonia. "She so has a thing for Raphael."

Sonia sighed. "I doubt it. But whether she does or not, she'll never admit it."

"You know, even though I hate to admit it, you're right. For once."

* * *

Bored as hell and sick of being beaten by honour boy, Emilie decided to go and chill out with the loud though surprisingly amusing Michelangelo. Sure, neither he nor Leonardo shared her taste in music, but they were good company. Donatello, on the other hand… she never really got the opportunity to hang out with him, since he was either a) doing nerdy stuff or b) preoccupied by Anna. As for Raphael, Emilie just wanted to push him off a cliff.

Speaking of the prick, he was lounging on the pizza box sofa which was startlingly holding his weight. Maybe he was pumped with helium after all. No one could be that ripped… right? Wait, what the hell was he doing? Was the Hulk _knitting_?

"What the actual fuck," Emilie asked slowly, "are you doing?"

Like a deer in headlights, Raphael's head shot up, and he stuffed whatever he was holding under a cushion. Unfortunately for him, a string of orange yarn was still visible. "Holy shit- piss off, half pint!"

She frowned and took a seat on one of the sushi-seat things. Whatever they were. "Who's half pint? Never heard of anyone with a name like that. Maybe you were trying to say half-inch but it came out wrong?"

"Get out." He growled.

Emilie ignored him. "What's your secret? Steroids? Protein shakes and shitloads of carbs? Induced rage? Helium? I'm so sorry if I'm disturbing you from… whatever you were doing."

"I'm gonna count from three-"

"Ooh, I'm so scared." Well, that was half true. She was a little nervous. "No, seriously. What the hell were you doing?"

Raphael didn't look at her. "Waitin'."

"Oh yeah? For what?" Emilie asked, swirling her can of Orange Crush around. "A new man license? Because we don't get mail on Sundays."

Raphael got up, glancing around the room suspiciously. "Mind your own business, little miss sunshine."

He left the room, occasionally stopping to see if anyone was watching, and gradually made his way to the dojo. Curious, Emilie put her drink down and followed him. She was just curious. That was all.

By the time she got there, Raphael was sheathing his sai in his belt. He didn't even have to look to notice she was there. "What do you want?"

Emilie shrugged. "Nothing. Just wanted to know why you were sneaking around like you have a guilty conscience."

"I'm goin' out." He growled. "So get lost."

"Not gonna happen." Emilie retorted. "I'm coming with you."

Raphael immediately turned to her, glowering. "No you ain't."

She wasn't backing down. "Yeah, I am. I've been wanting to go out for ages, and what better time to get out and about when I've got the Hulk to protect me?"

He raised a brow ridge. "I thought you said you were tough enough to protect yourself."

"I heard you saying that you were the toughest of your brothers." She said shiftily. "You prepared to back it up?"

Raphael was silent for a long time, then he sighed irritably and headed for the ladder to the sewer exit. "Fine. Just keep your damn mouth shut and don't piss me off."

"Sir yes sir." Emilie agreed. "Oh, wait, I didn't hear what you said properly. Yeah no, I can't guarantee you're gonna like having me around."

"I don't." He growled.

"Hate you too, half-inch. Now let's go fuck shit up in the Big Apple."

* * *

**That was the smallest space of time I've ever written a chapter in. I'm actually not kidding. I literally published chapter seven, and the next thing I knew was that I was finishing chapter eight off. So there you have it :) **

**At least in the next chapter Raphael and Emilie should be finding a bit of common ground. Doesn't mean they'll be best buddies though (^.o.)^**

**Without being too predictable, I'm slowly trying to hint at who will get together in the end. It's probably a bit confusing, what with all these different interactions, but I'm an asshole who likes to confuse people. However, Mikey stated his wish for all of them to be 'happy turtle friends', and I literally can't deny my precious bae. What Mikey wants, Mikey gets.**

**Thank you guys for saying awesome stuff about my OCs :) it took ages for me to do all the character development, and after the fear of creating Mary Sues, I'm glad to know people love them :D**

**By the way, did you guys catch the Pitch Perfect reference?**

**Thank you for not killing me, Nightwing. I appreciate it XD**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! The next one shall be here soon in I-can't-exactly-predict-how-long. Love y'all in some odd sentimental way :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Guess who's back? With chapter 9? :o *looks around* Oh. Right. Oops :p**

**I am so so so so so sorry that this chapter is so late! It's been what, over a month now? I've been so tied down with school and getting my life on track that I simply haven't had the time to write. But ****here it is! I hope I didn't disappoint you guys for making you wait for so long.**

**I am super grateful for all of your support- all you readers are amazing, and I couldn't thank you more for taking the time to read this story and telling me you like what I'm writing. Thank you all so much. I'm honestly super grateful. **

**Again, if there's anything in the story you're sorta iffy about, don't hesitate to let me know :)**

**I don't own TMNT :(**

_Feel the rain on your skin  
No one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in  
No one else, no one else can speak the words on your lips  
__Drench yourself in words unspoken  
Live your life with arms wide open  
Today is when your book begins  
The rest is still unwritten_

**Unwritten- Natasha Bedingfield (this will probably be the last set of lyrics I post on this fanfiction due to a small case of paranoia)**

* * *

It turned out that chilling with the walking steroid wasn't so bad after all.

Well, aside from the whole "half pint" thing anyway. He was insistent on calling her that, so she continued insulting his endowment. He retaliated by claiming that he was in fact pretty hung, but she wasn't buying it. She was too humoured by the idea of an absolutely ripped guy with a pathetically small package.

"I'm willing to bet that you're smaller than half an inch." She challenged.

"So you're raising the stakes now."

"Figured it was time to be realistic."

Raphael, who seemed to be a lot friendlier than usual, just rolled his eyes. "Don't go 'round making wild guesses, half pint. They're usually wrong."

Emilie shrugged. "Until you stop calling me half pint, I'll keep making 'wild guesses'."

"Can we put this bullshit aside for a moment?"

She smirked. "Why? Are you finally giving up?"

"Hell no. I just wanna be able to hear over your annoyin' voice."

Emilie cocked her head to one side. "Do you talk like that to sound tough? Because honestly it just doesn't work."

"Shut up, little miss sunshine." Raphael stopped in his tracks, and examined his surroundings. He carefully repeated this process, tilting his head to listen for screams of anguish or sounds of people that deserved an ass-kicking.

"Hear anything?"

"Shh." He hissed.

"Man, you're a dick. Has anyone ever bothered to tell you that?" Emilie snapped.

"You ain't the first." Raphael replied, drifting away to the far side of the rooftop. He stopped at the ledge, glanced around, then jumped off. Emilie followed with tentative footsteps, then leaped after her comrade.

When she noticed Raphael, she attempted to stifle a laugh, but it came out in one dorky, unrestrained sound. The dude was stuck in the dumpster, his backside practically wedged between the lid and the opening, and he looked about ready to attack the innocent disposal unit.

"That has to be the best thing I've ever seen." Emilie was literally in tears of laughter at this point. "Raphael, everybody. King of the trash."

"Just get me outta here!" He barked.

"Maybe if you ask nicely, you'd get what you want."

Raphael didn't respond, but rather gave the dumpster a kick which caused it to lean slightly. He easily got out, and didn't look at Emilie for quite some time after that. Emilie figured that Raphael didn't really care that she didn't help him; his ego had just deflated a little too much. All the more reason to pick on him, then.

"So," she droned, "are you really that tough? Tougher than your brothers, I mean?"

"Keep talkin' and you'll find out."

_Rude_. "I'm willing to wager that you're not tougher than your brothers."

"I'm willin' to wager that you're gonna screw everythin' up if you don't _shut the hell up_."

"Pfft. Screw what up?"

He turned to her. "You wanna learn ninjutsu, right? For one, ninjas don't talk in "stealth mode". So you keep talkin' and you're gonna blow our cover."

Emilie frowned at her surroundings. "Blow what cover? In case you haven't noticed, no one is awake at this time of night."

Raphael stopped at a tall wire fence, examined his surroundings, then hoisted himself over. He glanced back at Emilie. "City never sleeps, little miss sunshine."

He paused for a moment and his eyes widened. He unsheathed his sai, and gave Emilie an urgent look. "Hurry up."

"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm new to the ninja thing and don't make a habit of climbing fences." She hissed, gripping onto the thin wire and pulling herself up. After two attempts she got over, and scowled at Raphael. "Don't say a fucking word."

"How hard is it to climb a fence, half pint?"

"Like I said," she growled, "I don't make a habit of climbing fences. Last time I tried, I accidentally kicked Anna in the face and made her nose bleed. I've never heard her scream so loud in my life. Turned out she can't stand the sight of blood."

Raphael smirked. "You're never gonna live that down."

"Hell no. My sisters will just keep reminding me about it. Anna occasionally uses it against me."

"Guess it's worse than breaking Donnie's staff."

"Seriously? You broke it?"

"Kinda. Snapped it halfway. Donnie used a practice one so he didn't notice for a week until it split in half the next time he used it."

"Wow. Coincidence, huh?"

"What?"

"I dunno... just the fact that we all do similar things and end up just as chaotic as each other."

"It's called family." He replied. "We do crazy shit all the time. Doesn't change the way we see each other, though."

So maybe he was right. Emilie and her sisters always bickered and fell out, but in the end it was just their custom. Take Anna for example. She pissed Emilie off rather easily, but Emilie still loved her to pieces in some crazy sisterly way. Emilie made a mental note to apologize to Anna when they got back to the lair for kicking her in the face. She'd refrained from apologizing for about a year and a half now.

"Half pint! Don't just fuckin' stand there!"

Emilie realised her subconscious had gone off on another tangent, and her eyes wandered to the direction of Raphael's voice. He was pressed against the wall of a building, watching whatever was around the corner. She didn't want to find out, to be completely honest. But she joined him in his little spy mission anyway.

"How good is your aim?" Raphael hissed.

"Not bad, I guess. Why?"

Raphael looked around frantically, then bent over to pick up a fairly decent sized rock. He held it out to Emilie, pointing his thumb back at a streetlight no more than seven metres away. "Listen up, half pint. There's about five or six foot soldiers hangin' round an alleyway up ahead. You're gonna take out that light, and I'm gonna go_ on my own_ and kick some ass. After the light's out, you're gonna be a good girl and climb up this here rooftop. Then all you have to do is wait. Simple enough for ya?"

"Why don't _you _throw the rock if you're so confident that this plan is going to work?"

"Just throw it!" He muttered indignantly.

"Okay, fine." Emilie turned and frowned at the streetlight, and bent down to collect a rock. She straightened up, pulled back her arm, and launched the rock forward. It barely scratched the plastic of the light. Her face grew hot, and she stooped to pick up a more jagged rock. This time it shattered the plastic, causing the bulb to blow. In seconds the street was almost pitch-black, and Raphael was gone from her view. She heard panicked voices, and decided it was time to put phase two of the so-called plan into action. She made for the ladder.

Up on the rooftop, Emilie had a decent view of the city, which was far more interesting than the glimpse of shadows down below. Realistically, the only thing that made it better were the strangled sounds of agony from the foot soldiers. Pretending to act blasé, Emilie rested her chin on her fist and narrowed her eyes. These Foot Soldiers obviously weren't much of a threat if a bunch of them couldn't take out a six foot mutant turtle, especially if they had guns. Wait, _guns_?

Emilie sat up when she noticed a Foot Soldier on the corresponding rooftop, aiming a gun in the direction of the combat zone. Okay, so Emilie 'hated' Raphael, but she wasn't going to let the guy get shot. Panicking, she scrabbled for some kind of weapon, and found an average sized pebble. It was better than nothing. She got to her feet, and pulled her arm back. "Hey, asshole!"

The Foot Soldier's head swivelled in her direction now, and in seconds the rock bounced off of his head, causing him to stumble and trip over. Deciding that this was a stupid action on her part, Emilie backed away. Soon the remaining Foot Soldiers were focused on her.

"There's another one!" One of them cried. "After it!"

_It!? Learn your fucking genders, dumbass! _Emilie glanced from the Foot Soldiers to the darkened alleyway they'd emerged from, silently hoping for Raphael to turn up and save her ass. Screw it. She wasn't going to rely on men. So instead of standing there dithering like a distressed damsel, Emilie turned on her heel and ran.

She half expected bullets to start flying at her so she just kept running, her heart thundering in her chest. There was nothing like a good gun-outrun to get the blood pumping. No, really. There was nothing like it. She'd never been so scared in her life.

"Don't eradicate it." She heard a Foot Soldier yell. _Again with the it, for fuck's sake. _"Use immobilization darts. Sacks wants 'em alive."

"Aiming."

Alarmed, out of breath and agitated, Emilie rapidly scanned her surroundings, searching for some kind of outlet. Nothing. She swallowed, took a breath, and closed her eyes. _If this is the end, then I may as well say I have a few regrets. Like calling Cecilia fat and making her cry. Telling Sonia she's a bitch. Threatening to throw Anna off a cliff. Thinking that a human could love me, as stupid as that sounds. _

She prepared to take the bullet, but nothing came. Emilie glanced over her shoulder then warily turned around, to see Raphael storm towards her, his expression just short of irrepressibly irate.

"What the hell do you think you were doin', half pint!?" He barked, so close to her that she was forced to take a step back. His grip on his sai was so firm that his knuckles were almost tearing through his skin. "I tell you to shut up and stay hidden, and you can't even do that? You got an issue with listenin' or something?"

Emilie immediately put her guard up. "For your information, I just saved you from getting shot by those guys. Ever heard of the phrase 'thank you'?"

"You see any bullet holes?" Raphael asked, briefly holding up an empty gun shell before tossing it over the side of the rooftop. "I had everythin' under control, little miss sunshine, until you pulled that shit and screwed it all up."

"What the hell was I supposed to do?" Emilie cried. "Stand around and let you get shot? Sorry if it's so hard for you to understand, but I'm a "no man gets left behind" type of person, and even someone as "tough" as you can't handle a bunch of people with guns."

"Bullets don't do nothin'." He retorted, pushing past her and starting forward. "Next time I go out, you ain't comin' with me. We're goin' back, so stay out of my fuckin' way and don't get us caught."

That was it. She'd had it with this guy. "Holy shit, you're such a fucking _prick_! I tried to help you, dude, and you're being a total ass about it-"

"Just shut the hell up, half pint."

"Ever heard of the book 'Fifty Shades of Fuck You?'"

He ignored her.

* * *

Raphael didn't speak to Emilie for the rest of the night, but simply gave her irritated little looks when he thought she wasn't looking. She wouldn't look him directly in the eye since she knew that was asking for trouble, and instead focused on the ground. At this point in time, she was genuinely pissed off and all it took was a simple reminder of the disastrous outing to set her off. Emilie clenched and unclenched her fists continuously, and whenever she caught sight of Raphael, she dug her nails into the palms of her hands until they throbbed.

Raphael didn't even bother waiting up for Emilie, he just forged on ahead and left her behind as if he couldn't care less what happened to her. She could be shot at any point in time, and she was sure he wouldn't care. Oh well. It's not like he was the only one, in Emilie's opinion. She often felt that nobody would notice if she simply disappeared off the face of the planet.

It didn't take them long to get back to the darkened tunnel entrance leading to the lair, which Raphael disappeared into and left Emilie to manoeuvre the tunnel on her own. She followed the sounds of his heavy footsteps until they reached the main hatch, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. Emilie wasn't exactly fond of being left on her own let alone away from her sisters. This place was still unfamiliar to her, but her sisters were her home. She wondered, briefly, if Raphael ever felt like that about his brothers. Out of all those times he talked about going out to face the world on his own, was he ever afraid of leaving his brothers? Being alone?

Emilie would never voice that question, especially when tall, massive and furious was close to letting his inner Hulk go beserk. Making her way down the ladder, she glanced in Raphael's direction to see him stowing his weapons.

"Next time you wanna follow me," he paused, trying to think of an appropriate way to end that sentence. "Don't."

Her voice was dry, but she fought to raise it enough to seem defensive. "With all respect, dude, I'd rather take a bullet than hang out with you again. I'll just go out on my own."

Raphael frowned, and his shoulders tensed. He took a few steps forward with the intention of driving her into the wall. "You think you'd last a second out there own your own? You're weak, you're stupid and you think you've got the city sussed. You don't, half pint, you don't know what's out there."

Emilie straightened up, and glared Raphael directly in the eye. "I may be a lot weaker than you, but if there's one thing I'm not, it's stupid."

"Stupid enough to think you'd ever be welcome here." Raphael retorted. He narrowed his eyes. "The sooner you're gone, the better. So until then, stay outta my way."

Stunned from the comment, Emilie took a step back, her eyes stinging. Not wanting to let her guard down, she raised her hands in defense. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's not like I ever wanted to be here in the first place."

"Then you'll leave." Raphael exited the dojo with that last comment, leaving Emilie still rooted to the spot. Knowing that the only thing that would make her feel better was to be with her sisters, Emilie left the room in her wake, watching over her shoulder as Raphael took the opposite path. Just as Emilie was about ten steps away from the games room, a blinding light struck her eyes and left her dizzy. She stumbled to regain her balance, and just as she straightened up, something slithered towards her ankles and knocked her over. She hit the ground, her shell making a heavy _thwack_ when it hit the concrete, and she made an agonized noise. After the spots in her vision faded, she looked up just in time to see Master Splinter's tail dart out and knock Raphael to the ground.

"Where were you!?" The elderly rat demanded, swivelling the flashlight from Raphael to Emilie. "And do not hesitate to answer me, as my patience is wearing thin! Why did you go to the surface at this hour when you knew you were not allowed!?"

"Sensei, we were trainin'-" Raphael was cut off when Master Splinter's tail struck his ankles and knocked him over again.

"Emilie?" Master Splinter's voice was hushed, nocuous. "Do you have anything to add?"

Emilie attempted to push herself up off of the cold ground, but her arms ached so she gave up. "N-no, Sensei-"

"Then I will have to assume that you both left the lair," Master Splinter continued, pacing between the adolescent terrapins, "alone and at a forbidden hour. Raphael, you know to only ever leave our home with your brothers to support you. You have broken family conduct. Have you any shame, my son?"

Raphael didn't speak. He just glared at the ground, his expression faltering. Master Splinter turned to Emilie.

"Emilie." He stopped several steps away from her. "You abandoned your duty to your own family by leaving without them. You often speak of the importance of family, though you perform reckless actions and thus face consequences. This is not honour- this is impatience."

Master Splinter looked from Raphael to Emilie. "Do not think that you are simply free to go without punishment. To the hashi- the both of you!"

Raphael's eyes widened. "No way. Sensei, this is all her f-"

"You have thirty seconds. Hashi- now!"

"Wait, me as well?" Emilie looked shocked. "You can't be serious! What am I supposed to do?"

Master Splinter's expression hardened. "Patience and you will see. Now get to the hashi!"

The two teenagers fired a glare at each other, and the corners of Emilie's lips curved upwards in a smug smile. So she had to serve time in the hashi, but at least Raphael had to suffer too. And the look on his face was absolutely priceless.

God, she really hated him right now.

* * *

"Three minutes left and you will have reached the five hour mark." Master Splinter padded into the dojo, glancing between the two contemptuous terrapins. "Do you think you can hold on for that long?"

"I sure as hell ain't breakin', sensei." Raphael replied, eyes trained on his knitting. "I'm at the top of my game here."

"Is that so? Then I suppose you wouldn't mind a two hour extension."

Despite his internal struggle to do so, Raphael made the wise decision to shut his mouth and continued knitting in silence, all the while dangerously teetering on an old unicycle. Master Splinter's tail darted out and struck the seatpost, causing the unicycle to wobble under Raphael's weight. Once his son had independently regained balance, Master Splinter moved towards Emilie, who stood atop a thin beam with heavy books balancing on either hand. Her lips moved in a silent recitement of numbers and her eyes, lined with smudged black make-up, were screwed shut.

Master Splinter raised an eyebrow. "For your first time in the hashi, Emilie, I must say it is most impressive. How many times have you started counting from the beginning again?"

Emilie didn't move. "Forty-something."

"And are you tired?"

She took a moment to answer. "... no, sensei."

Raphael scoffed. "Bull."

"Come at me." Emilie retorted.

Raphael would have thrown a knitting needle in her direction had Master Splinter not have wrapped his tail around the beam, causing it to wobble violently. To Raphael's amusement, Emilie desperately tried to regain her balance, and a majority of the books slid off of her hands. She groaned in defeat.

"I seriously can't do this anymore." She blurted, much to her own chagrin.

Master Splinter turned back to her. "Why not?"

Emilie stared through hooded eyelids and murky green orbs at the floor. "I've been in here for ages and I'm tired as hell. I'm sorry for sneaking out, okay? I won't do it again. There, I said it."

Master Splinter was silent for a moment. He stood between the two, contemplating Emilie's apology, then exhaled deeply. "Very well. An apology is one thing, but allow me to ask you this- have you learnt your lesson?"

Emilie's lip curled, and she screwed her eyes shut again. Moments passed before she spoke. "Yeah. Don't risk my life and go out into a world which I know nothing about without my family to watch my back."

Satisfied, Master Splinter bowed his head, and turned to Raphael. His son did his best to avoid eye contact. "Raphael?"

It took Raphael even longer to respond, which, from his father's point of view, was not a surprise. "Don't ditch the lair without my brothers. We're family, so..."

He hesitated. "... we stick together."

So the guy was more sensitive then he let on. Emilie watched him with a look of understanding, which gradually took on the form of regret. Regret for constantly hurling every single insult under the sun at him. For being so selfish as to believe she was the only one capable of inner affliction. So he was troubled, and maybe more so than her. God knew what it felt like to be a guy.

But to think that a guy who acted as if independence was his dependence could turn around and admit that his family was his foundation hit Emilie like an undercurrent, tugging her back to the bank of empathy. It was beyond her comfort zone to admit to her faults, being as aware of them as she was. But as for Raphael, she admired the hell out of him. He'd reached out beyond his comfort zone, despite the consequences he endured to do so, moved past his wounded ego and admitted to his requirement for support. Emilie silently asked herself why she couldn't do the same.

She glanced at the ground. It didn't matter. She didn't have to model herself on somebody else simply because she struggled with something. She'd open up- in her own time.

Maybe.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Master Splinter spoke again. "Very well. You are both dismissed."

On that last note, Emilie dropped the remaining books and carefully got off of the beam, her legs trembling. As soon as her feet hit the floor her legs gave way, and she grabbed the beam to support herself. She hadn't realised how numb her body was until now- it refused to respond to her directive, and this almost scared her. Sure, she'd experienced numbness before, but not at this degree.

Master Splinter happened to notice Emilie's discomfort. "Emilie, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Emilie responded almost breathlessly, pulling herself up. "I just need to sleep."

"One would certainly agree, my dear. Sleep well."

"Thanks, Sensei." With that last comment she glided away, stifling a yawn and forcing her numb legs to function. She turned slightly to look over her shoulder at Raphael, who discreetly collected his knitting and made for his shared room. He made an effort to hide the yarn behind his back, and she smirked upon noticing a loose red string.

"So," she began, reducing her pace to walk alongside Raphael, "you really _do_ knit, huh?"

He sauntered forward, gritting his teeth and avoiding eye contact. "Shut up."

"Dude, chill." Emilie replied. "It's totally cool. I don't have a problem with it or anything. I'm a total sucker for cooking, so..."

He ignored her. She sucked in a sharp breath.

"Man," she sighed, shaking her head, "you're such an ass. And just for the record, you looked like shit on that unicycle. You were all over the place and it was fucking hilarious."

Raphael, despite his passive expression and aggressive nature, couldn't help but smirk at the comment. "'Least I wasn't as bad as you."

"Bullshit. You were way worse."

"I stayed on that thing the whole time." He retorted. "Can't count how many times you fell off."

"Only like twice." Her grin widened. "You know, half inch, you're not that bad. For a total ass anyway."

"You ain't so bad yourself, half pint." Raphael replied. "When you ain't pissin' me off."

"Glad we finally reached common ground." Emilie said sarcastically. "So now we're on sort of better terms, I promise to stop calling you half inch if you promise to stop mocking my height."

She stuck her hand out for him to shake, still smirking. "The name's Emilie. Nice to meet you."

Raphael glanced at Emilie's hand, then rolled his eyes. "Whatever, half pint."

"Okay then, half inch, you asked for it." Emilie riposted, crossing her arms. "I'd beat you up, but I'm way too tired. Guess I'll have to wait till morning."

He glided off in the opposite direction, heading straight for bed. "You ain't got a chance."

Emilie's eyes glittered, her grin fading into a dreamy simper. "Jerk."

Raphael shot a disparaging smile over his shoulder before he disappeared from Emilie's sight, leaving her in a daze. Her cheeks burning, Emilie stood there in silence for a moment, then retreated to the games room. She carefully made her way past her sleeping sisters, tripping on Sonia's outstretched leg in the process. The girl's calf muscles were rock hard, and Emilie was considering waking her up and asking how the hell it was possible to have those legs and thighs that could crush someone's skull, considering previous jujitsu misadventures. Instead she just pushed past her, watching out for Cecilia in the process, who was sprawled out in a confusing position.

"Leo..." Cecilia murmured.

Pulling a face, Emilie continued onwards, feeling around for her bed- it wasn't exactly easy to find in total darkness. Once she was sure she'd found it, she collapsed against the plush object, the material forming a contour around her carapace. Breathing out a content sigh, Emilie allowed her eyelids to sink, and brought the blanket up over her head. She never thought she'd miss sleep so much.

"Psst. Em."

Tensing, Emilie removed the blanket, and arched a brow ridge in silent irritation. "What, Anna?"

Emilie could barely make out her sister's silhouette in the darkness, though the whites of her eyes gave away her location. Judging by the movements of her eyes, Emilie's sister was excitedly bobbing up and down. "I have to tell you something."

"Can it _wait_? I've been up for seven fucking hours, Anna-"

"Lastnightdonniesaidhelikeshangingoutwithme." Anna was practically a florid beacon at this point. "We watched another movie and talked about stuff like the sky and why it's blue, he let me try on his glasses which were super blurry, then he said I was really pretty-"

Emilie yawned. "So what?"

"... I think I like him. You know... _like_ like him."

"What else is new..." Emilie sighed.

"I used to just think he was cool." Anna droned. "But he's the cutest boy ever and now I really like him."

"Good for you. Go to sleep."

"Em?"

"_What!?_"

"... what do I do?"

"You decide." Emilie felt an uncomfortable pang, and turned away. "But just because he wants to hang out with you doesn't mean he likes you in that way, okay? So don't go getting your hopes up."

She laid her head against her pillow, and stared ahead until her vision blurred. She closed her eyes. "You're the last person I want to get hurt."

For some unexplainable reason, the last thing she thought of was the person she'd convinced herself she hated. Now that she had actually come to tolerate his presence, she was subject to succumbing to her girlish notions of infatuation.

_No way. Fuck love. I don't want history to repeat itself._

* * *

**Finally Raph and Emilie are getting along ._.; well, at least they're not hurling insults at each other every three seconds. Of course they'll still tease each other on a regular basis (with a few joke-intended insults here and there), but it should be more of a friendly rivalry. That is, of course, unless Emilie decides to piss Raphael off just because she feels like it.**

**Honestly, I got really tired of dealing with this site for a while. I'd written long paragraphs and saved as I went, only for the website to expire or ask me to log in again. So I lost everything I'd written as well as my motivation to continue.**** There was a bit of seething and cursing for a while, until KatrinaSebastian picked me up again and helped me to continue. So a huge shoutout to her :) she's had my back since the beginning, and for that I'm super grateful to her.**

**I'm also super grateful to all you readers :) thank you so much for being so patient and supportive. I'm trying to get my life sorted (driver's license, a job) since it's my last year of high school, and it helps that you guys have waited for me to update in my own time. School is painful and stressful, so it's hard to sit down and write especially when I have assessments flying at me from every direction. **

**Reviews, flames, faves and follows are all appreciated! Yes, even flames- well, preferably constructive flames XD**


	10. Chapter 10

**Surprise! Bet you guys didn't think that I'd upload two chapters in one hit, did you? I thought it would be a nice surprise :) in between school and other stuff going on, I got two chapters done.** **I'm actually kind of proud of myself for this accomplishment :D**

**So this chapter shall be interesting :3 hopefully you guys don't die of feels or growing romances. Nah, you probably won't XD but it'll be interesting to see how you react to this chapter anyway! I decided to put a little more cute stuff in this chapter since you guys have been waiting patiently for romantic goodness. The really romantic stuff will come along soon, but for now, enjoy some extra doses of fluff :)**

**I'm thinking of bringing Cheyenne back into the story at some point. I'm still playing with the idea. I think I approve so far XD**

**I may re-upload this chapter with song lyrics... *looks around* if I don't get avalanched by a particular group of so-called "mods". Something went down over one of my songfics, and I'm still sorta paranoid. *puts on tin foil hat* For New Zealand (^._.)^**

**I don't own TMNT. If I did, I wouldn't have to wear this hat- I'd have four badass ninja turts to protect me :D**

* * *

One of Eric Sacks' favourite things to do was surprise people.

Whether it involved spilling his newest master plan to the Shredder or unexpectedly waltzing into random facilities, he loved surprising others. Take young Declan Scott (well, young compared to Sacks himself) for example. He wasn't expecting a visit from his employer so early in the morning.

Now Declan had been working his ass off for several months in a row, and was clearly lacking sleep judging by the dark circles under his eyes. Either that or he used a lot of eyeliner, because Sacks took him for a so-called "emo kid." He needed to grow up. He was what, thirty-something years old now?

Back to the no sleep issue. Did Sacks care? Of course not. Mr Scott was getting a shitload of money for the work he was doing, and was in on a few secrets that not many people knew about. Sacks would say that he's special.

Then there was Declan's wife. She was a beautiful woman, though quiet and rather introverted. Sacks knew when someone was carrying a large burden on their shoulders, and Mrs Scott was carrying a pretty big one. As Declan often mumbled, she wasn't the same as she used to be. It was like someone had come along and sucked the life out of her.

Deciding that it wasn't worth caring about, Sacks waltzed into Declan's little hideout around 6am. The fidgety engineer who lacked a degree (which Sacks also didn't really care about) didn't register Sacks' presence until the older man coughed. Declan's head shot up, and bits of metal flew out of his hands.

Sacks watched those bits of metal clatter to the ground. "Oops."

"Crap." Declan scrabbled frantically to pick up the scattered pieces, dumping them on his desk as he went. "I'm sorry, sir, I wasn't expecting to see you-"

"It's perfectly fine. I wouldn't have been expecting to see myself either."

Declan hesitated and gave a short nod, obviously realising that his boss was rather odd borderline insane. "Right."

"My apologies. That was a terrible joke." Sacks said dryly. "Now, onto more business-esque stuff. You have a little secret that I need to be let in on. See, it's all classified stuff, but it's rather important to me."

Declan glanced around nervously. "I don't know what you're talking-"

"Yes you do, Declan." Sacks chuckled. "Come on, use your brain. We're talking about something that happened about fifteen years ago. There were several cold-blooded organisms involved…"

Declan immediately tensed up, and dropped what he was holding. "With all due respect, sir, I don't like to talk about it."

Sacks ignored him. "My resources tell me that you're the little bastard who set the test subjects free. Is that true, Declan? You can tell me. I swear I won't get angry."

Declan seemed to be considering it, but in the end he knew there was no escaping this. "They were my pets, so I couldn't let them…"

He trailed off. "Be subject to… nevermind."

"Cool." Sacks shrugged. "I appreciate your honesty. I'm not going to get angry, because I've been told that the females are still alive and somewhere in New Jersey. So that means they can't be with you, and you haven't been hiding them from me. I'll let you off the hook this time."

Declan looked up. "What exactly do you want with them?"

"Oh, nothing too special." Sacks paused. "Sorry, slip of the tongue. That was a lie. See, the whole project thing fifteen years back, well… I was developing a mutagen with cellular-level healing properties. The first project failed, so I tried a second attempt with your pets. That one failed because you intervened and practically ruined everything. But since they're alive and all mutated, I still have a chance at achieving dual city domination. All I need is to extract their blood and get the last of that mutagen… even if it kills them."

Declan's eyes widened, and he froze in his seat. "K-kills them, sir?"

"That's right. And if you tell me where they are, we can put this all behind us. You can keep working for me and live to see your wife again, I can fulfil my life's dream. We'll both be happy. All I need is a little co-operation from you."

"…"

"Tick, tock…"

"… my old house in New Jersey." Declan spat. A look of guilt washed over him. "I left them when I came here."

"Really? And you know I can see why you would." Sacks chuckled. "It's probably no fun housing a bunch of mutants… you probably got a few weird looks, right? Back to the subject. An ex-employee of mine searched your old house and didn't find any trace of them. So where could they be now?"

Declan's shoulders loosened, and his expression softened. "I… I don't know, sir."

Sacks considered his employee's reply for a moment, then exhaled deeply through his nostrils. "Okay. Fair enough. I'm just going to assume that they're somewhere in New Jersey, so I'd better get to work on tracking them down."

He got off of Declan's desk. "Thanks for your time. You can go back to work now."

He only reached the door when Declan stopped him again. "Sir?"

Sacks turned. "Yes?"

Declan gave his employer a grave look. "Please just… don't hurt them. They've been hurt enough."

The older man smiled, though it wasn't the type of smile you'd necessarily trust. "I can't guarantee that, Declan."

* * *

After her ridiculously early talk with Emilie and her morning training session, Anna found herself wanting to hang out with Donatello and admire him afar, so she made a beeline for the console room. Aside from the usual awkwardness, Donatello was more than happy to have Anna's company, especially since he had someone to show off his latest gadget to.

"It's a blender." He told her excitedly. "Whoever threw it out wasted a decent appliance. All it needed was a little rewiring, and now it's in factory condition. I've tested it and everything."

"Do people throw out stuff like that?"

"All the time. Wealthier people tend to 'replace' cheaper objects with the latest state-of-the-art models, when in actual fact the original model is generally better performance wise. I usually salvage parts, but only buy things if it's completely necessary. I know what you're thinking- I had a job in Tech Support for a while. The pay was good, but it just didn't interest me. I had to deal with people constantly complaining about 'faulty software'."

"Did you make this?" Anna asked, gesturing to the toaster on the other side of the bench.

"No." He replied. "That one's beyond the state of repair, so I'm planning to take it apart. Just don't touch it- the wiring is extremely defective, and could likely spontaneously combust."

He got up, and put his coffee aside. Over the time she'd gotten to know him, Anna had found that Donnie was a coffee addict. "I think I've misplaced the wrench. Could you hold on for a moment while I go get it?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He gave her a nervous smile, then promptly left the room in search of the missing wrench. Anna sat still for a moment, her eyes wandering over blueprints, random images, a collection of chemicals, scraps of metal and unfinished gadgets. It was practically geek paradise. Anna wondered if Donnie would rather while away his time tinkering with technology than train. She knew that she'd much rather play around and make mischief than train.

Her eyes fell on the toaster. It certainly looked like a rather flashy model, but it looked nowhere near defective. Feeling a little intrepid, Anna reached out and lightly poked the toaster. Nothing. Disappointed, Anna sighed and rested her chin against her hands. She stared at the toaster for what felt like forever, then quickly scanned her surroundings to see if Donnie was nearby. With a playful gleam in her eyes, Anna reached out again and pushed the lever on the toaster down. Once again, nothing exciting happened. Now impatient, Anna repeatedly pushed the lever, and on the sixth push, the visible wiring in the machine sparked. She quickly moved away as the toaster continued scintillating, thick smoke billowing into the air. In seconds it was up in flames.

In a state of nervous panic, she got up off of her chair and started running around the room. "I didn't touch it! I didn't touch it!"

Donatello came back in an instant, obviously having heard the commotion. He unplugged the toaster immediately and threw a heavy cloth over it so as to block off the supply of oxygen. He waited until the flames died down, then turned to Anna. "You touched it, didn't you?"

"No!" She hesitated. "... yeah, maybe a little..."

Silence fell over the room, and she compensated for it by quickly explaining why she'd ignored him. "I just couldn't help it. When somebody tells me not to touch something, I can't myself. I didn't think I could set it on fire."

"I did tell you that it could spontaneously combust."

"... I didn't know what that word meant."

Donatello sighed irritably and rubbed a hand over his face. "You are literally the female reincarnation of Mikey. But at least you're honest."

Stricken, Anna focused on the floor, scuffing her feet. "I understand if you're mad at me-"

"I'm not really mad." With that comment she looked up hopefully, to see that he was trying hard to manage a smile. "To be honest, I'm kind of amused. It's a comical situation, despite all it's seriousness."

She so didn't understand what he said, but she agreed anyway. "Mhm. But you said you still wanted to use it-"

"For scrap metal." He responded, removing the cloth from the toaster and quickly inspecting it. Satisfied, he turned back to her. "There's no way I'd use the wiring in the first place. And the metal isn't completely scorched, so I can still use it."

Anna lit up. "So Anna isn't bad?"

He chuckled. "No, Anna isn't bad."

God, he was sweet. Literally the only person who didn't respond to her like she was a dog. Since she was easily confused, her sisters simply told her "bad Anna" and left it at that. "I'm sorry for setting the toaster on fire."

"It happens." He seemed iffy about it, but at least he was trying to move past it. "I can compensate with that telescope you put together."

"I didn't put it together." She felt a pang of guilt, and screwed her eyes shut. "That was Cecilia. I just asked her to do it. I can't put anything together."

She waited for a disappointed response, but received the opposite. "I figured. But it was still a nice gesture, I guess. I was actually wondering if... uh..."

His voice gradually tailed off. "... if you wanted to accompany me to test it out sometime next week."

Anna's heart skipped a beat, and she fought down a swallow. Upon replying, her voice was dry. "... yeah."

Donatello lit up. "R-really? Are you sure? I know I'm not the most entertaining person on the planet and that you'd probably much rather have my brother's company, but I can sort of tutor you on the astrological phenomena-"

She giggled. "You're funny. I'd love to hang out with you."

"Really?" He repeated, his face gradually going red.

Anna beamed, her heart thundering in her chest. "Really."

* * *

Over the course of the few weeks the girls had been there, Mikey had started to notice the little things about Sonia that he found crucial for impressing her. She'd read four or five books in her spare time, including _Memoirs Of a Geisha_, the original _Frankenstein_, a novel on the history of ancient Egypt and _The Virtues Of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great. _The other one was elusive, and she was now absorbed in the classic _The Great Gatsby_. Now and again she narrowed her eyes and flicked back through pages, reading over passages she couldn't quite interpret, but in the course of a day she'd almost finished the book. So Mikey made a mental note to remind himself that Sonia loved to read when she thought nobody was around to irritate her.

However, this didn't stop Mikey from unintentionally irritating her. "Hey, beautiful, whatcha readin'?"

Sonia didn't look up from her book. "A complicated yet moving novel where the title character constantly refers to the narrator as "old sport"."

"That's like a super ancient way of saying "bro", right?"

"If that's what you want to call it, then sure."

Her lips were drawn in tightly, her expression plainly showing that she wanted to be left alone. So Mikey left her to her book for a little while, and continued his daily jaunt by jokingly calling his brothers "old sport." It didn't take him long to get bored with that, so he returned to Sonia with high hopes that she'd tolerate, or even better, enjoy his company. She was so immersed in the novel that she didn't even notice him enter the room.

"So, angelcakes." Mikey cleared his throat. "Sometime when you're not busy or whatever, we should go out. I know this pretty rad beach where we can walk and stuff, or if you're not into that-"

Sonia sighed irritably, closed her book and got up. "I need to exercise."

"Yeah, I knew you were into that kind of thing. We could be workout buddies. I'm kickass at pumping iron, and I can bench like 600 pounds."

Sonia glanced around, frowning, then her eyes moved back to Mikey. "Who are you trying to impress, exactly?"

Ouch. "Wow, angelcakes, you seriously have some attitude issues."

Sonia's temper was close to exploding, so she focused on breathing to calm herself down. She had to hold respect for this guy- he was, after all, the reason she was alive and well. "Look, Michelangelo-"

"Mikey."

"Mikey." Sonia corrected herself, and sighed. "I'm... flattered... that you're interested in me, but I have a duty which is to my family. So simply put, I do not want to date you. Are we clear?"

"Oh, come on, you don't know what you're missing out on here." Mikey said jokingly. He paused. "You sure?"

Finally he seemed to be getting it. "Very sure."

At this point Sonia expected Mikey to accept her unrequited feelings and sulk for an unpredictable period of time, but she wound up surprised rather quickly. He broke out into a cheerful smile, tiny flecks of light dancing in his mellow gaze. Blue orbs met smouldering chestnut, causing the latter to narrow in askance.

"Lighten up and live a little, baby girl. We ain't got forever, y'know." Mikey maundered, his voice bouncing on an upbeat timbre. "Once we save the world together, you'll be so into me. But if you change your mind before that, you always find me-"

He pointed to her plastron where her heart lay beneath. "- in here."

He left the room with a spring in his step, Sonia watching him with an arched brow ridge. So that was a rather unexpected reaction to rejection, but nevertheless, she found herself admiring his ability to pick himself up and continue on with a positive disposition. It was a quality she herself struggled to maintain, yet had always respected in another individual. Michelangelo just happened to be the primary individual with that quality.

And aside from being irritating, he was oddly charming. In a way.

* * *

After a light dinner of steamed vegetables with udon, Emilie headed for the dojo to get some practice in. Since last night's incident she'd decided that she'd focus on her training more, as she'd come to realise that she did value her life. That and she wanted to finally shut Sonia up about the importance of training.

Raphael happened to be in the dojo when Emilie arrived there, and he was doing push-ups while using rather heavy-looking dumbbells. Emilie hesitated for a split second, eyes locking on Raphael, then slowly moved to the weight machine and sat down to watch him.

He stopped for a moment and looked over his shoulder, so she quickly averted her eyes and pretended to be evaluating the weight machine. Raphael shook his head at her, but turned back to his exercises anyway. Emilie swallowed, watching with a craving gaze as Raphael deliberately turned his body a little more towards her and continued flexing, allowing her a muscle-filled view. _Jeeesus_...

"Enjoying the show, half pint?"

Emilie was immediately pulled out of her daze. She caught the playful gleam in Raphael's eyes, and her cheeks reddened.

"Emilie." She retorted, her voice dry. "The name is Emilie."

He rolled his eyes. "Right. Forgot about that. So now that's outta the way, are you just gonna sit there starin' or what?"

Seeing that as her cue to make it look like she had a purpose for being there, Emilie got up and moved to the punching bag. "Hell no, what do you think I am? I came here to beat the living shit out of this thing."

Raphael raised a brow ridge, obviously unimpressed. "The punching bag?"

"Yeah." Emilie glanced between the punching bag and Raphael, wondering if the latter would be a better option for beating up. "... yeah, the punching bag."

Raphael stopped what he was doing, got up and rolled his shoulders to relieve them from the strenuous exercise. "Alright. You gonna hit or not?"

"Yeah." She repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She stared at the bag for a moment, feeling rather intimidated by the idea that Raphael was watching her. She didn't move.

Raphael crossed his arms. "I'm waitin'."

"Okay, fine!" Emilie snapped, her face heating and her hands curling into fists. She pulled back her right arm, breathed out, and launched her fist forward. Her knuckles collided with the hard object, causing a jolt of pain to shoot up her arm and into her shoulder. She pursed her lips and ignored the pain, this time launching her left fist into the bag. This time it hurt more, and she grunted on impact.

"You're hittin' it wrong." Raphael chided. He approached Emilie, and held his fist up. "You ain't using your fist right- you gotta keep your fingers aligned and your wrist straight, or you're gonna break your wrist.

"And hit with this part," he gestured to his proximal phalanges, "not your knuckles."

He turned to the punching bag. "Watch."

Emilie sullenly crossed her arms and watched as Raphael pulled his arm back and launched his fist forward, making heavy impact with the punching bag. It swung away from him, and he caught it again in time before it hit Emilie. He glanced at her. "Got it?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I guess."

"So try again."

Emilie sighed in exasperation, turned to face the punching bag, and flexed her fingers before curling them into fists. Before she could think she hit out at the bag, and missed entirely. Embarrassed, Emilie ducked her head, and crossed her arms again. Tears stung in the corners of her eyes, and she blinked them away.

It was Raphael's turn to sigh. "Come on, half pint, at least try to hit the damn thing-"

"My name is _Emilie_!" She shrieked, and burst into tears then and there. "You're such a fucking _asshole_! I get that I'm short and weak and whatever, but even when I try to do something you completely shove it back in my face. I'm over it, okay!? I get it enough from Sonia, and God, you're so much worse than her!

"It's all 'Emilie, you can't do anything right' and 'you've had your heart broken, big deal, get over it.' It's hard enough being incompetent with everything, but when someone turns around and says I don't have a right to feel a certain way is what really gets to me. How can anyone tell me how to feel when they haven't been through the same thing? I'm the only one who was stupid enough to believe a human would accept me, and I'm reminded every single day that I fucked up. And just being reminded about it hurts like hell."

"Hey. Look at me." She reluctantly looked up, and met his calm gaze. He reached out, and gently ran his thumbs under her eyes, wiping away her tears. "You may be short, but you sure know how to stand tall if you can go through all that and still find something to live for. Took me ages to understand that."

He gave her a sympathetic look. "And you sure as hell don't deserve to have your heart broken again."

Emilie gazed up at Raphael with blurry eyes, and blinked away the last of her tears. She managed a cocky grin. "I guess I can stand by what I said earlier- you're not that bad."

"Took you that long to admit it, huh?" He returned the smirk. "You okay now, little miss sunshine?"

She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thank you."

"Don't sweat it." He glanced from her to the punching bag. "You gonna try again?"

"... I don't think I can."

"Keyword: try." He moved behind her, took her right arm, and straightened it up. He pulled her arm back, then straightened it out again. "That's how you hit- you're gonna rotate your fist when your arm sails in. You got that?"

Her skin felt hot on contact with his, and she fought to stop herself from melting into his touch. "Yeah, I've got it."

She pulled back her arm, assuring it was straight, and exhaled deeply through her nose. She propelled her fist forward, rotating her fist slightly as she went, and the punching bag swung slightly upon contact. She flexed her fingers, taking note of the lack of numbness, and realised she'd made a successful hit. She lit up, and turned to Raphael. "Holy shit. I did it! I actually fucking hit the thing!"

He crossed his arms. "I told you you could do it."

She chuckled. "No you didn't, you just said 'keyword: try.'"

Raphael managed a small smile. "Was behind you all the way."

Emilie's heart skipped a beat, and she stumbled. Taken aback, she could only murmur, "thank you."

* * *

**The following week...**

Emilie and Raphael's expedition was still a relatively interesting subject throughout the week, in which they were both given stick about sneaking out let alone together. Emilie chose to ignore her sisters and focus on her training, to which she'd decided to commit her time. She had been training with Donatello and focusing on the importance of strategy for that first week, then switched partners so she had Raphael. At least at this point in time she didn't want to tear his throat out. Poor Cecilia looked relieved to have a change in partner though, since she and Raphael had completely different ideals. She'd quietly mentioned to her sisters that Raphael was possibly the most intimidating person she'd ever met. That was understandable, though. She hadn't met many people.

Upon the last session before they switched partners, Raphael suggested a sort of 'team deathmatch' if you will. Leonardo was all for a bit of friendly competition, though he was unsure about the girls. So he suggested putting Cecilia and Anna up against each other, and taking Raphael head on himself. Cecilia wiped the floor with her younger sister, then stubbornly challenged Sonia. It turned out that challenging Emilie would have been a better bet- Sonia absolutely wasted her in seconds.

"Cecilia will not be training this evening." Master Splinter announced the next training session. "As you can see, she is injured. So she will be watching and observing the session."

"What even happened to you?" Emilie asked, her eyes trained on Cecilia.

Cecilia grimaced. "Ask Sonia."

Sonia sat up. "It was an accident, Cecilia. I've apologized enough, so you don't need to keep bringing it up."

The eldest of the sisters rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll explain it then. We were sparring and I had to keep practicing evasion. She was supposed to go easy on me, but she kicked me in the left side of my waist and tore the muscle."

"Like I said," Sonia growled, "it was an accident."

"But it still happened, even after you were told to go easy on me."

"Just drop it, Cecilia." Emilie sighed. "You're injured, Sonia apologized, everything's fine. Stop talking about it."

"_Cause the players gonna play play play play play_," Anna murmured, "_and the haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate_-"

Emilie reached out and kicked her. "That song is horrible. Shut up."

"Girls," Master Splinter chided. "Focus. You have been training for a number of weeks, and so far I am seeing good progress. As you have all trained with my sons, I believe you will have learnt from them and used those lessons to shape your own abilities. But today onward you will have a different partner who will further help you to expand on your knowledge. Sonia, you will train alongside Leonardo. Emilie, Raphael. When Cecilia is well, she will train with Donatello."

He turned to Anna, and suppressed a sigh. "Anna, your partner will be Michelangelo. However, you must remain attentive. All I ask is that you focus."

He looked up as the boys silently entered the dojo. "Donatello, as Cecilia is injured, you may train alone or with Michelangelo and Anna. They could use a more focused role model."

"I have a few things that need fixing-"

"You have been up all night, my son. I suggest you take a break from those duties."

Donatello hastily glanced in Anna's direction, then back at Master Splinter. "... I'll train with them."

Master Splinter nodded. "Then it is settled. You all may begin your training. _Hajime_!"

They moved off to their allocated partners to resume training, while Cecilia sat beside Master Splinter and watched from afar. As soon as Anna was near her training partners, she jumped on Mikey's back, giggling. "Mikey!"

Mikey staggered upon impact, regained his balance, and burst out laughing. "Whoa, angelcakes! I totally didn't see that coming!"

He hooked his hands under her knees so as to prevent her from falling off. "Where to, princess?"

Donatello frowned, confused. "Uh, Mikey-"

"To Neverland!" Anna cried.

"Shouldn't we train-"

"To Neverland!" Mikey repeated, and broke into a run around the dojo with Anna giggling and clinging to his shell. Master Splinter happened to notice this, and moved from his observation point to stand beside Donatello.

"I agree with you, my son." His eyes followed the two younger terrapins. "It is not a time to play games. Perhaps that will be Anna's focus for the session."

Once Mikey and Anna were close by, Master Splinter banged his staff on the ground, which immediately caught their attention. "Both of you- enough. Michelangelo, you will train with Donatello for the rest of the session."

He turned to Anna, who sheepishly climbed off of Mikey's back. "Anna, it is critical that you focus on your training. Have you remembered any of your lessons with Leonardo?"

Anna cringed. "Kinda..."

"I take it you are not an audial learner." Master Splinter assumed. "It is easy to become distracted, and even easier to fall behind. I think it would help to extend your morning session by one hour- that is until you are at the level of your sisters."

Anna cocked her head to one side, eyes half-lidded. "Huh?"

Master Splinter frowned. "Were you listening, my dear?"

The young terrapin nodded, ducking her head. "Yup."

Master Splinter could sense that something was wrong. "Are you alright? If you are not feeling well, I would suggest that you go and rest somewhere quiet."

"I'm okay." Anna protested tenuously. "My head just hurts a little."

She turned to face Mikey, swaying slightly, and frowned. "Mikey-"

Concerned, Mikey reached out to steady her. "Angelcakes, you don't look so good. You sure you're feelin' okay?"

"Yeah." Anna murmured. She shook her head. "I'm fine-"

She lost control of her legs and stumbled, reaching desperately for Donatello, and grabbed his arms with a feeble grip. Numb, light-headed and frightened, she reached for Donatello's shoulders and slumped against his plastron, her flushed cheek cooling upon contact with his pectorals. "Donnie-"

Donatello's fingertips lightly pressed against Anna's heated forehead, bringing away light moisture upon removing his hand. "She's running a high temperature. Anna, can you stand up straight?"

Anna nodded and held onto Donatello's shoulders, steadying herself. "Mhm."

She took a step back, muscles twitching slightly. "See? I'm..."

Her eyelids drooped, and her hands fell to her sides. "... okay..."

The last thing she remembered was Donnie and Mikey rushing towards her before her body hit the floor.

* * *

**Uh oh, Anna passed out ;o; at least there's a genius amongst them *cough, Donnie* who will find out what's wrong. I wonder if you guys can guess what's wrong with her?**

**So obviously in the next chapter we'll find out why Anna fainted, but I'd like to focus on another pair in the next chapter. Who would you readers like to see interacting? Cecilia and Leo, or Sonia and Mikey? I'm all for suggestions :) **

**Or would you like another April chapter? (considering her first appearance was rather weak in terms of my writing) or maybe a little Karai feature? OR a pairing-focused chapter with an April/Karai feature? I think I'm getting a little too excited right now ._. I should probably go and sleep before I explode from excitement.**

**So which pairings are your favourite? Who would you guys want to end up together? I'd love to hear what you all think :)**

**Reviews, favourites, follows... they're all still welcome :D stay tuned for chapter 11!**


	11. Chapter 11

**...**

**Okay, where do I begin?**

**I'M SO SORRY, MY PROBABLY A LOT SMALLER AMOUNT OF READERS. I'M SORRY IT'S BEEN A PAINFUL YEAR OF WAITING. I'M AN AWFUL HUMAN BEING.**

**So where's my excuse? *pulls out an old piece of paper* A-hem! First there was school- that was crazy, especially since it was my final year, but that's over. Then I lost motivation and moved on to other things, then I landed a job with way more hours than I initially had, and now here I am. I thought well, since it's my year off, I have time to get this fanfic rolling again and hopefully complete. However, there's still a way to go yet. **

**I'm super sorry for making you guys wait so long :(**

**Well, here's chapter 11. The good news is that I literally have the following chapters written down in bullet points- everything is mapped out. So this fanfic is still going! Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

**(Star Trek is (c) to CBS and Doctor Who to BBC, I wish I owned Doctor Who because it is honestly my life right now)**

I never worry, life is a journey

I just want to enjoy the ride

What is the hurry? It's pretty early

It's okay, we'll take our time

The night is still young

The night is still young

The night is still young

And so are we

**\- The Night Is Still Young- (c) to Nicki Minaj**

* * *

"Oh my God!" Cecilia cried, rushing towards her younger sister. She ignored the wrenching pain in her hip and instead focused on Anna, who was unconscious in Michelangelo's arms. "Oh my God- what the hell _happened_ to her!?"

"I don't know!" Mikey exclaimed, aghast. "Like, she was totally fine when we started training, then she was acting all weird, and next thing I knew she was asleep. She's not gonna die, right?"

"She is not going to die, Michelangelo." Master Splinter told him. "Take her to the needle room. She needs proper care-"

"OH MY GOD SHE'S GONNA DIE!"

"No she is not." Exasperated, Splinter rubbed his temples. "As I said, take her to the needle room."

"Not the needle room." Donatello murmured. "Get her to the lab. I can run diagnostics-"

"Be calm, my son." Master Splinter said calmly. "But do what you must. I will get cold water- she will need it when she is conscious."

"What else do you need, Don?" Leonardo asked.

"The first aid kit." Donatello replied, watching as Mikey carefully transported Anna to the lab. "In case of any injuries from the fall."

"Injuries?" Cecilia asked worriedly.

"She may have hit her head. I just... need to be sure."

Cecilia nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "... okay. Okay. Just... take good care of her."

* * *

It took at least three hours for Donatello to actually allow anyone else to see Anna, since he hadn't gathered enough information to declare her stable or not. The poor young terrapin was frightened and dizzy when she first awoke (not to mention nauseous, thankfully there was a bucket around), but ended up sleeping after Donatello managed to calm her down. He was rather protective over her after that, especially with the fear of someone disturbing her sleep pattern. Finally he allowed a very concerned Cecilia to see Anna.

"How's she doing?"

"She's holding up well. She had a scare when she came around, but she's in good condition now."

Cecilia nodded gravely, stroking her thumb across Anna's hand. "So she's just sleeping now?"

"Yeah." Donatello replied. "I may have to wake her up in a moment, just to do a cross-check and assure she's hydrated, if it's no problem-"

Cecilia shook her head. "It's alright. Just as long as you can tell me that she's going to be okay."

"She'll be fine." Donatello assured her. "I know what I'm doing, so..."

"I know." Cecilia murmured. "Just making sure."

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Anna's dampened forehead. "Sleep tight, sis."

"How's everything going in here?"

Cecilia hesitated on hearing Leonardo's voice, and slowly turned to face him. "Hi. Fine- everything's fine."

"That's good to hear." Leonardo arched a brow ridge at Donatello, and crossed his arms. "Have you eaten anything, genius?"

Donatello pushed his glasses up, and turned back to his computers. "Not as of late. I don't have the time-"

"Don't pull this again, Donnie. You've gotta eat." Leonardo sighed. "I'll bring you and Anna something, alright?"

Donatello glanced nervously from Leonardo to Anna, then back to his brother. "... Thanks. I appreciate it."

Leonardo nodded, his eyes falling on Cecilia. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Cecilia said under her breath, pulling herself up. She made for the archway, lightly brushing past Leonardo. She turned to glance over her shoulder. "Thank you for looking after her, Donnie."

Donatello uttered his consensus, and Cecilia took it as her cue to leave. Just as she was close to the dojo, a firm hand gripped her arm. She turned to meet Leonardo's modest gaze, and sucked in a breath.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, eyes searching hers.

She nodded, once. Her voice was dry. "I'm fine. I just... need to train."

He let go of her. "If you're not feeling that great, you should just take it easy. Rest. Meditate. Just don't overdo anything."

She hesitated. "It's not that, I just need a distraction. Would you... train with me?"

Leonardo considered it for a small length of time. "Just let me get Donnie sorted, then I'll meet you in the dojo."

Cecilia managed a small smile, a blush cascading down her cheeks to her feet. "Thank you."

* * *

Okay, so their training session totally sucked. In Cecilia's point of view, at least. She was slow and could hardly focus- every time she took a swing at Leonardo, she thought of her sister fainting right in front of her, and she stumbled. Trying to recover was useless- she just had to keep going. However, Leonardo eventually noticed that something wasn't right.

"You're not focusing." He told her. "What's going on?"

"I'm worried." Cecilia blurted.

Leonardo raised a brow ridge. "About your sister?"

Cecilia nodded, pursing her lips together. "I know it's not worth being worried since she's in good hands, but... just seeing her collapse like that was a harsh reminder."

"So it's not the first time, then."

"In a way it is, considering what actually happened." Cecilia caught Leonardo patiently studying her, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. "When we were kids, Anna loved hide and seek. I was the only one who would play with her, since Sonia was usually busy and Emilie told her to go away. One day Anna decided to hide by climbing a tree, and when I found her, she fell out of the tree and broke her arm. And after she collapsed just moments ago, I kept asking myself why I wasn't there to catch her when she fell.

"If I had have paid more attention to the way she was acting before she fainted, I could have helped her." Cecilia bit her lip. "But I've allowed other things to overpower the importance of my sisters. Like training... I've been so absorbed in trying to be better than Sonia that I've practically disregarded the existence of those around me."

Leonardo stood there for a moment, obviously contemplating Cecilia's predicament. "Training isn't a competition, unless you're sparring. I don't know how many times I've told Raph that, but he doesn't listen. He sees everything as a competition nowadays, and winds up pissed off when something doesn't go his way.

"So a word of advice; don't get overconfident." He told her. "Losing sucks, but getting hurt is worse. And Sonia is probably more advanced than you- she's in here training day and night. She's the reason you were injured, right?"

Cecilia nodded solemnly. "She's so much stronger than me and she's only been training for a few weeks. I totally suck."

"You're supposed to suck when you start out." Leonardo said. "Fail and learn from your mistakes. It takes practice to get to this level."

He sliced his katana swiftly through the air, the blade singing through the cut. "Years of practice."

He gave her questioning look. "You wanna keep practicing, or...?"

Dazed, Cecilia blinked. "Oh. Y-yeah. Sorry."

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "I get it, you're still worried. She'll be fine. Whatever happened in the past isn't your fault. Hell, from where you were standing at the time, no one could have caught her. So stop blaming yourself."

He shrugged his shoulders. "But hey. At least you care."

Cecilia giggled, lightly wiping her eyes with her fingertips. "Thanks for the pep talk."

Impressed by the fact that she'd learnt to let it roll off of her shoulders with a laugh, Leonardo managed a smile. "No problem."

* * *

After training Cecilia excused herself to check on Anna again, who was, typically, still asleep. Donatello, wide awake and buzzing with caffeine, assured Cecilia that Anna was fine, and so the eldest of the girls retreated to the dojo to speak with Leonardo. He sat cross-legged on the floor, practicing dumbbell exercises while patiently listening to her speak.

"So who really is this Shredder guy?" She asked nervously. "I mean, you guys keep talking about him returning. Is he really that dangerous?"

Leonardo looked up. "How does 'massive mechanical samurai jacked with knives sound?"

Cecilia went red. "... terrifying."

"Then yeah. He's dangerous." Leonardo sighed. "It took a lot to beat him last time. I'd say it's a streak of luck, but then again... teamwork was our best weapon. Now that he's back for round two, I'm not sure if it's going to work again. He's probably sussed us out."

"Being aware of that, I guess you have the upper hand." Cecilia interjected thoughtfully. "It gives you time to come up with different strategies based on possible scenarios."

Leonardo shrugged. "Maybe. Then again, he's known for going all out. So all we can do is hope like hell that whatever we come up with is gonna work."

"Mm." Cecilia lowered her gaze to the floor again, fiddling with her fingernails. Disheartened by the perturbing silence, she continued nervously picking at one particular nail, and accidentally tore half of the free edge off. Annoyed, Cecilia crossed her arms, trapping her hands underneath them. She prided herself on her nails, and as they were now ruined, she felt as if she needed to hate every fiber of her own being for being so inattentive.

She made a furtive glance in Leonardo's direction. He was just sitting in silence with his eyes closed, obviously enjoying the rare quietude. Slightly offended by this, Cecilia made to leave. _Does he find me that boring? _

Just as she got to her feet, Leonardo opened one eye and glanced at her. "Leaving already?"

"You looked... content. I didn't want to disturb you." Cecilia chose her words carefully as to avoid irritating the blue-masked terrapin. "It would have been rude of me."

He cracked a smile, amused by her excuse. "I was meditating. Maybe you should try it for yourself."

"Does that mean you want me to stay?" Cecilia asked jokingly, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Leonardo chuckled, the sound deep and full-throated. "Sure, if that's how you want to perceive it."

Cecilia glanced at the space next to Leonardo for a moment, then timidly seated herself beside him. Being in such a close proximity to him make her feel weak. "How exactly do you meditate?"

Rolling his eyes, Leonardo proceeded to demonstrate by crossing his legs and placing the palms of his hands on his knees. "It's simple, really. Just relax, close your eyes, empty your mind and breathe. Enjoy the silence while it lasts."

Cecilia giggled, mimicking Leonardo's posture. "I wonder how long it will last for."

He quirked a brow ridge. "With Mikey around, not that long."

"I can relate with you there."

* * *

"You have no idea how badly I want a piercing." Emilie sighed, examining herself in the mirror. She ran a finger over her upper lip thoughtfully. "Right here. You know, like a Monroe piercing. I think it would look rad. What do you think, Sonia?"

"As long as you don't try piercing it yourself." Sonia replied, moving from her current position to perform a more complicated exercise. She hesitated for a moment, seemingly confused. "Where's Cecilia?"

Emilie grinned impishly. "A moment ago she was fawning around honour boy, and now they're meditating next to each other. I've never seen Cecilia meditating before... the things she'll do for Leonardo, huh?"

"She seems to be wrapped up in this illusion of love." Sonia remarked, almost scathingly.

"Ha. Love." Emilie chuckled. "_Please_. It's just a crush. Still, Cecilia acts like a schoolgirl whenever the dude is around her. Same goes for Anna who won't shut up about the nerd. It's pathetic."

Sonia snorted contemptuously. "You act as if you're not on the same boat as they are."

Emilie whirled around, her hardened gaze set on her younger sister. "Get over yourself. I'm not drooling over anyone, and there's no way I'm going to start any time soon. I don't need a man."

Sonia couldn't help but smirk as she watched Emilie critically study herself in the mirror before waltzing out of the room. "If that's the case, may I ask where you're rushing off to?"

Emilie snarled. "Leave off. I'm only going to check on Anna."

"So checking on Anna requires you to stare at your reflection for ten minutes?"

Emilie's cheeks reddened, but she chose to ignore that comment. After all, Sonia had caught her out. There was really nothing she could say at this point.

* * *

"So I hear that you're a sci-fi enthusiast."

Leonardo carefully stowed his katana, then turned to Cecilia. "Who gave you that idea?"

Slightly embarrassed, Cecilia feigned bewilderment. "Oh, well, Mikey sort of brought it up spontaneously the other day..."

Well, that _was_ true. Thankfully Leonardo didn't seem too confused about it. "If you count Star Trek, then you could put it that way."

Cecilia lit up. "Are you serious? I love Star Trek! Well, the original series anyway. The Next Generation just isn't the same without the old cast. Do you have a favourite character?"

"Captain Kirk." Leonardo replied. Obviously trying to stifle a smile, he put on an impressively sonorous voice. "_Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young_."

"Nice impression." Cecilia giggled. "While Captain Kirk is pretty awesome, I prefer Spock or Lieutenant Uhura."

"Who doesn't like Spock?" Leonardo rolled his eyes, though he was smiling. "He's the only character that everyone knows, even people who don't watch Star Trek."

"Just like a lot of people use the Vulcan salute," Cecilia added, "without actually knowing what it's from or what it represents."

Despite having three fingers, she could still perform the salute relatively well. She spread her fingers into the alignment that many people associated with Spock. "Live long and prosper."

Leonardo mimicked Cecilia, then resumed his place on the floor beside her. "So you've seen all three seasons, huh?"

"All three." She confirmed. "I was always so engrossed in the TV series that Cheyenne bought me the box set. After I finished the series I started watching Doctor Who, but..."

"Never seen it." Leonardo said. "I don't get why there's a massive hype over it."

"Probably because it's bizarre and whimsical and the characters are purely awesome." Cecilia managed a smile. "And the storyline is pretty heartfelt."

Her smile spread into a grin. "Maybe you should try it for yourself. I have the first few series of New Who..."

He chuckled. "Alright, alright... one episode, and that's it."

"One is better than none." Cecilia giggled, grabbing Leonardo's hand and enthusiastically pulling him up. "Come on, you're going to love it."

* * *

After several episodes of Doctor Who, Cecilia and Leonardo resorted to watching Star Trek. Thankfully Leonardo was more enthusiastic about it, so Cecilia found him pleasant to converse with.

Entranced by the grainy image of Nurse Chapel and Spock, Cecilia sat in silence beside Leonardo, who had the expression of someone who'd seen this episode countless times but enjoyed it nevertheless.

"_I'm in love with you, Mr Spock. You, the human Mr Spock... the Vulcan Mr Spock... I see things... how honest you are. I know how you feel. You hide it, but you do have feelings_."

Sucking in a breath, Cecilia stole a glance at Leonardo, who sat unperturbed by the moment. Cecilia decided it would be an appropriate time to speak. "I feel sorry for Christine... while she loves Spock, he doesn't feel the same way. Yet she still has the strength to pull herself together..."

"He's never going to care about her." Leonardo scoffed. "That would be..."

For some reason, Cecilia felt disheartened at this point. "... illogical?"

Leonardo chuckled. "Yeah. Sure. Illogical."

"Just like giving up everything for someone should be illogical." Cecilia murmured. "But..."

Leonardo glanced at her, narrowing his eyes in askance. "But?"

Cecilia shrugged. "I guess it depends on who it is, really. If they're worth giving up everything for."

"Hm."

"Then again... perhaps it's best to just admire from afar." Cecilia glanced at the ground. "To love someone to an extent that you know, if ever having them is impossible, you won't fall flat on your face."

_Maybe_, Cecilia thought to herself, _I should do the same_. While it wasn't love, Cecilia was sure that it could be if she got too close.

"So that's your philosophical insight, huh?"

"Yeah. Totally philosophical." Cecilia smiled half-heartedly. "It's just an opinion, really. Others are entitled to feel a certain way. So who am I to judge?"

Leonardo didn't respond, and instead uttered another "hm" sound. For a moment, Cecilia wondered if he was considering her opinion, but then she felt his weight shift as he got up to leave. Unstable without the support he was previously supplying her with, Cecilia seated herself upright. She found herself missing his presence.

"Leaving already?" She asked with the slightest hint of sentimentality.

Her reference didn't go unnoticed. Leonardo stretched slightly, shaking his head at Cecilia's corny joke. "It's been a long day, and I seriously need to sleep before I pass out."

"Fair enough." Cecilia murmured. "Goodnight."

"'Night."

"Leo?"

He turned to her, his expression emanating patience.

"Thank you," She said, "for everything you've done."

He just smiled wanly at her, then turned to leave again. He was only centimetres from the archway when she heard him stop.

"No problem."

* * *

Irrationally concerned about Anna's recovery, Donatello loaded himself up on caffeine in order to watch over her and monitor her so-called "vital processes." His brothers had told him to call it a night about five times now, though he politely brushed their concerns off. Eyes stinging and fingers numbing, he sat at the computers with his head in his lap in an attempt to obscure the intense lights from his view.

A brief knock caused him to jump, and he swiveled around to stare numbly at the archway. Once the initial grogginess dissolved and the spots faded from his vision, he could clearly make out the silhouette of Emilie, the shortest of the sisters.

"Hi." He said dumbly. "Can I help you?"

Emilie stared at him for a moment, somewhat amused. Then she cracked a rare smirk. "Hey to you too, nerd. How's my little sis doing?"

"S-she's good." Donatello replied, giving Emilie a lazy thumbs-up. "I suppose she enjoys sleeping, huh?"

"She'd stay there unless you dragged her out." Emilie made her way towards the bed, staring down at Anna with a look of determination. She lifted her leg briefly to kick Anna in her side, causing the younger terrapin to grunt. "Wakey wakey, Giovanna. Get your stupid ass out of bed."

"Not Giovanna," Anna mumbled, hardly stirring from her position on the bed, "it's Anna-"

"Same thing. C'mon, get up. I don't want to have to drag you."

Minutes of incoherent mumbling, rustling of fabric and shifting of weight passed before Anna was sitting up and squinting against the glaring monitors and agonizing bright lights. She sat in silence for a while, rubbing her eyes and blinking at everything in her vicinity. She emitted a yawn, then glanced in Emilie's direction. "Mmph. What's the time, Em?"

"Like a few minutes past midnight. You've been out for ages."

Anna frowned. "Huh. Really?"

"Really." Donatello was suddenly at her side, checking her over for any indication of trauma. "Six hours, to be exact. You took a while and that's absolutely fine, but you're awake and you seem to be doing okay which is awesome. How are you feeling, by the way?"

Anna had already asked what had happened the last time she woke up, so she knew that there was no need to ask again. She sat in silence for a moment, lips parted, eyes wide. Finally her eyes landed on Donatello again. "Woah. I totally zoned out just then. What did you say before?"

He gave her a perplexed look. "... how are you feeling? Feverish? Nauseous? Hungry?"

Anna simpered weakly. "Nope, nope and nope. I'm fine."

"Weak? Even the slightest bit numb?"

"Donnie, I'm okay-"

"If you're still not feeling that great, I'd recommend you go back to sleep-"

"Donnie!" Anna laughed. "I'm _fine_! If anyone needs to sleep, it's you. You've been up for ages, right? You look super tired."

Donatello glanced around nervously. "I've been so busy taking care of you that I haven't had the time-"

"Hey." They turned their attention to Emilie, who stood with her arms folded and an amused look on her face. "I hate to interrupt the sickening lover's banter, but I kinda doubt that you're fine, Anna. So, did you find anything on her mysterious fainting episode, Donnie?"

Donatello sat there for a moment, entranced by his own exhaustion, then realised his attention was required. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes, then pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat. "Well, I ran a few tests since I had a basic idea of what Anna's, uh- condition- was. Turns out she's not producing enough hemoglobin."

Emilie looked bewildered. "What the heck is hemoglobin?"

"It's a protein that carries oxygen through the bloodstream. So the lack of oxygen to her brain would have caused her to pass out."

"... so I won't be able to breathe?" Anna asked worriedly, clutching at her chest.

"You'll be able to breathe. You simply have iron deficiency anemia- probably due to your vegetarian diet. Just up your iron intake and you'll be fine in no time."

"S-so I have to eat meat?"

Donatello shook his head. "No, you don't have to eat meat. There's a lot of iron-based stuff out there. Poorly absorbed, but enough of it will keep you going. Talk to Raph or Leo. They know more about supplements than I do."

Anna sat motionless for a while, obviously trying to absorb this information, then nodded briefly. "Okay. Thank you, Donnie."

He shrugged. "No problem."

Emilie prodded Anna's arm, earning a startled squeak from the latter. "So, dork, there you have it. Now do something so you don't end up freaking us out again, alright?"

Anna gave her a remorseful smile. "Alright."

"That's my sis." Emilie smirked, wrapping an arm around Anna's shoulders and hugging her tightly. She reached into the small satchel hanging from her arm, and withdrew a small container. "Because I thought you'd be annoyingly energetic when you woke up, I got you this to shut you up for a few hours. You'd better like it."

Anna frowned for a moment, taken aback by Emilie's sudden stroke of generosity, and unclipped the container. She uttered a delighted squeal at the variety of beads and cord packed into the container, one arm tethering Emilie to her side. "Thank you, Em! Thankyouthankyouthankyou-"

Emilie surpressed a sigh. "Oh god, what have I done?"

"Now I can make rad bracelets and stuff- these beads are so pretty! Whoa, there are so many colours!"

"That's great. Maybe you can make every colour of the rainbow." Emilie replied dully. She gave her younger sister the slightest hint of a smile as she rose from her spot on the bed. "Glad you like it, dipshit. Don't get too excited, alright? Last time you almost took Sonia's eye out with those stupid beads."

"I won't."

Emilie shook her head, then turned to Donatello. "Thanks for taking care of her, man. I owe you one."

Donatello waved the comment off. "You don't owe me anything. I'm fine with this kind of thing."

His expression softened once his gaze fell upon Anna, whose eyes glittered in the blistering light. "... totally fine with it."

Emilie noticed this, and stood with her mouth open for a moment before she decided her presence was required elsewhere. "Guess I'll leave you guys to it, then. So, uh- goodnight. Try not to stay up too much longer, Anna."

"M'kay." Anna was too busy picking out purple beads to utter a proper response. Seeing no point in waiting around, Emilie glided out of the room, leaving an unsettling silence in her wake, the only sound being the hum of the computers and the clicking of beads.

Anna pulled her grazed knees up to her chest and chewed her bottom lip, squinting at her selection of beads in the darkness. Several shades of purple glared back at her, clouding her mind with girlish thoughts. She huffed, drawing her knees in closer as to close herself off, and began threading beads onto a strip of black cord. She hummed as she worked, glancing at Donatello every now and then. God, he looked tired. Worse than she did, even, and she was exhausted.

"Donnie?" She said eventually.

Donatello turned in his chair, as though it were an effortless job. "Hm?"

"... would you like me to leave? So you can, y'know... sleep?"

"No." Was his immediate response. He saw her startled expression, and made to repeat himself. "No. You can stay... if you're comfortable with it, that is."

She fervently hoped he couldn't see her blushing through the glow of the monitors. "... thank you. This bed is just really comfy."

"I guess it's a change from sleeping on a bean bag."

"Yep. It sure is." A smile flickered on her face, briefly marring her concentration. "It sure is."

She patted the spot on the bed beside her. "Turn those silly computers off and get some sleep. I swear I won't annoy you."

Donatello swallowed. "I-I'm not- I still have to-"

Anna frowned, desperately trying to play serious. "Donnie, this behaviour is not okay. You've gotta sleep or you'll be all grumpy and stuff tomorrow."

He frowned. "... really, Anna?"

"Really." Her expression softened. "Please, Donnie, try and get some sleep. I'm worried about you. Y'know, coz we're friends and stuff. Yeah. That's what friends are for. Ya feeling me?"

"No."

"Ugh. You're hopeless." Despite her stirring dizziness, Anna pulled herself to her feet and switched off the monitors, then helped Donatello to his feet. "See? Now you've gotta do what I say."

He chuckled. "You really are frightening."

She frowned. "How?"

**"**Well, you have me totally and utterly stumped." He thought for a moment. "I don't fully understand you... but I would like to."

She adopted a light crimson in her cheeks. Beautiful and curious. He wondered if she ever thought of him with burgeoning affection.

He was too exhausted to think any further about it. Eventually he just passed out on his bed, while Anna sat quietly beside him, fiddling with beads and thread. It was nice to have this kind of silence, she thought, and pleasant to be right next to him. But she figured that he needed his sleep, so she carefully moved off of the bed, leaving him in peace.

"Goodnight, Donnie."

* * *

After leaving Anna in the hands of Donatello (God help him), Emilie made a quick detour to the dojo. Cecilia and Leonardo had long since left, so Emilie didn't feel so intrusive despite being around all sorts of weapons she didn't know how to handle.

With tentative movements, Emilie set to further exploring the dojo. Neat rows of wooden weapons lined the walls, the sharper instruments slotted into shelves. She reached out to touch the wooden blade of a bokken, which was not sharp, yet imposed a threat through weight. She'd been hit enough times by it to know it was far more lethal than it looked.

A particular cluster of weapons caught her attention, and she turned to examine them. Leonardo's katana, Donatello's staff- Raphael's sai. Feeling particularly invasive, she glanced over her shoulder before moving closer to the weapons rack. Her eyes glided over the slender blades of Leonardo's prized katana, polished to a glimmer by honour boy himself. With far more interest than she would have been comfortable with, she redirected her gaze to Raphael's sai. Their design had her soon thinking of gardening tools and kitchen utensils, and she chuckled.

"What are you lookin' at, little miss sunshine?" Emilie turned to face Raphael, who had no doubt turned up for his nightly work out session. How he sustained it over six days a week plus regular ninjitsu training, she had no freaking clue. "It ain't polite to stare."

"That's how most girls feel about guys looking at their tits, but they still do it anyway." Emilie smirked. "How's it going, steroid? Aren't those biceps colossal enough?"

At least he was grinning. "So this is your way of being nice, eh? Dunno if I like it."

"Pffffft. Nice." She shook her head. "Being nice to you is never on my agenda. Or anyone else, really."

"Alright then. So why are you really in here? To stare at shit or stand around like you've got nothin' better to do?"

"To look hot. Obviously."

"How's that workin' out for ya?"

"Well, it brought you in here. So it must be working."

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Whatever, princess. You gonna join me or what?"

Emilie's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"You heard me. Once in a lifetime offer. I thought you were motivated."

"'Course I'm motivated." Emilie broke out into a grin. "Bring it, half inch. I'm gonna wipe the floor with you."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

* * *

As agreed with Leonardo, Cecilia awoke early the following morning to train alongside him, as according to the fearless leader himself, morning was the best time for activity. Cecilia found herself giggling at this double entendre (as perceived by herself, of course).

Surprisingly enough, the session went well to the point where it ended up being a major confidence booster for the ninjitsu novice. She'd found a slither, if only a small one, of hope that one day she'd surpass Sonia and impress the boy in blue.

She'd come to know a bit about him from the moments spent training or simply conversing, and realised she really did appreciate the little things. To Cecilia, Leonardo was an inspiration, a model of guidance and ability, hard work and determination- something she'd tried to find in Sonia, which was deterred by her arrogance. Leonardo was modest, whereas Cecilia's younger sister thought highly of herself and had a complicated perspective of perfection. Not exactly role model material.

Oh well. It wasn't like Cecilia really needed the pressure of leaving her spectacular sister in her shadow. There was more to life than being better than everyone else. So she was concerned that Sonia may never understand this herself, but life was full of mistakes and promises that couldn't really be promised.

The difference between Cecilia and Sonia was that the former was aware of this. So she had a lot to learn- but so did Sonia. She wasn't so flawless after all.

_I'm still smarter than her_. Cecilia thought to herself, rather smugly at that._ She couldn't use a screwdriver to save her life_.

Caught her own little world of self-talk, Cecilia turned back to her primary task. Just a few nights ago she'd requested Michelangelo's assistance in locating scrap timber, and he returned with an assortment of woods, some of high-end quality to her surprise. Using a rough plan and a range of decent tools, Cecilia had managed to put together an impressive set of drawers. It took her a whole day to sand down the model (and attach perfectly good handles found in a junkyard), and her last job was to apply a thin coat of gloss. However, Anna decided that this was a boring idea, and took it upon herself to paint the set of drawers instead. With Anna's artistic flair and the assistance of a talented Mikey, the plain drawers were painted white with delicate pastel designs.

Emilie wasn't too impressed about this. If she had her way, the drawers would be black and yellow- a sort of bee aesthetic, as Cecilia scathingly called it- but she had terrible taste in furniture and didn't seem to understand the concept of clashing when it came to colour.

"Really?" She sighed, staring at the drawers with a look of contempt. "Does everything have to be girly when it comes to you losers?"

"Nope." Cecilia gestured at Emilie's attempt to darken her "side" of the room. "While your stuff looks totally out of order in here, we can't exactly complain- after all, you're entitled to decorate your side of the room the way you like it."

Emilie grumbled and glared at the ground, but gave up on further expanding on her opinion. Satisfied, Cecilia went to retrieve a shoe box full of personal artifacts that she'd brought with her during their departure from New Jersey, and started organizing items that she thought suitable as decor on top of the set of drawers. A small jewellery stand, make-up, a small statue of the TARDIS, empty perfume bottles, tiny jars of glitter.

"Ooooh." Anna murmured, observing the complete image. "It looks awesome, Celia. What do you think, Mikey?"

"I think we did a pretty rad job." Michelangelo said proudly. "Didn't know you were an artist, angelcakes."

Blushing, Anna gave a little shrug. "I dunno, I just like painting and stuff."

"You should totally help me with a mural I'm thinking of doing. It's gonna be wicked- probably a whole wall or something. I got all this spray paint and thought I should use it that way. You in?"

"I'm totally in!"

"Sweet!" Mikey exclaimed. "Lemme go grab the spray paint."

He was off before Anna could object. Cecilia rolled her eyes and smirked at her younger sister, who could do nothing but stand there looking wide-eyed.

"So." She said rather loudly, snapping her younger sister from her thoughts. "On a completely different topic. How's everything going?"

Anna frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Cecilia grinned. "It's obvious that you and Donnie have a thing for each other."

"No we don't." Anna spluttered. "Well- at least he doesn't. Does he?"

Cecilia sighed. "It doesn't take a genius to know that, Anna. The way he looks at you- like you're the prettiest thing he's ever seen. It's enviable, actually."

Anna went bright red and covered her face with her hands. "Nooooooo."

"Look at you, all embarrassed." Cecilia wrapped her arms around Anna, causing the latter to squeak in surprise. "My baby sister is growing up."

"You're crushing me." Anna whined. "Owwwwww- Cecilia! Let- go!"

"Alright, alright." Cecilia released her grip, and her younger sister made a show of coughing and spluttering. "Oh, please, don't be such a drama queen."

"I guess training with Leo has been good for your, um..." Anna's eyes lit up. "Physical attributes."

"Whether or not that was a deliberate innuendo, I'm so not impressed."

"Huh. Guess I'd better run then."

"Sounds like a good plan."

"Eep!" With that, Anna took off, giggling like a schoolgirl. "You can't catch meeeee!"

Cecilia sighed to herself. "I'm not even going to bother."

* * *

Later that evening, the boys decided a group discussion was in order. Mikey preferred to call it a conference and played at being a businessman until the others told him he wasn't being funny, but realistically, the discussion was just an excuse for a group of irritable teenage brothers to spend "quality family time" together.

"I've gotta say, Em's improved." Raphael shrugged. "She can really kick ass when she puts her mind to it."

He caught sight of his brothers staring at him, and frowned. "What are ya lookin' at?"

"Em?" Mikey asked, grinning. "You mean Emilie, right?"

"Using an abbreviation of someone's name." Donatello shook his head, smirking. "It's a sign of affection, Raph. I'm not going to lie."

"It don't mean nothing." Raphael snapped. "Get over yourselves."

"So calling her by her name, let alone a fonder version, as opposed to "half-pint" or whatever means absolutely nothing?" Donatello rolled his eyes. "You're not doing a great job convincing us of that, Raph."

"That's rich coming from you, lover boy." Raphael growled. "Obsessed with little miss annoying."

"Not obsessed." Donatello corrected him. "But I'll admit that I enjoy her company and find her to be, uh... complimentary to my personality. Plus, she's not annoying. She's just curious."

"In other words..." Mikey rammed his elbow into his brother's side excitedly. "YOU LIKE HER!"

Flustered and totally embarrassed, Donatello adjusted his glasses and let out a sigh. "Thank you for screaming it out to the world, Mikey..."

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Mikey bellowed. He realised that yelling wasn't necessary, and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

It was Leonardo's turn to sigh. "Back to the, uh... topic at hand. So they've improved a lot in their training. Is anybody objecting to them staying any longer?"

No one said anything for a while. Then, ever so eventually, Raphael cleared his throat. "I reckon they can handle themselves. Let 'em go."

Mikey stared at him. "Whaaaa? Just like that? C'mon, Raph, having them around has been rad. I vote that they stay as long as they need to."

"And they have." Raphael growled. "That's why they gotta go."

"No way." Mikey said incredulously. "Donnie? What do you think?"

Donatello stayed silent. Frantic, Mikey looked to the wisest of the brothers. "Leo?"

Leonardo looked as though he were struggling to answer. "Look, I don't know, Mikey. In the end, it's up to Splinter. I don't have a problem with them sticking around, but..."

"But?"

Leonardo sighed again. "It's a little complicated. We've got lives to live. So do they. That's all I'm going to say."

"You dudes are unbelievable!" Mikey cried. "All because a few girls have got you all caught up in emotions and all that gooey stuff! I say totally embrace it, bros! Feel the love, let it in-"

"Shut up, Mikey." Raphael growled. "Go annoy someone else."

"See? You're totally proving my point. You don't like liking Emilie." Mikey stopped to consider whether this sounded right, then continued. "Yeah. Donnie told me you said Emilie was cute- so there."

Looking slightly nervous, Donnie made a gesture for Mikey to stop talking. This completely slipped past the young terrapin, who looked rather proud of himself.

"You really think I give a damn about little miss sunshine?" Raphael asked scathingly. "I couldn't care less 'bout the kid. She's an idiot- and she knows it. Thinks she's got what it takes to handle herself out there. I'd like to see what happens if she ends up on her own in the middle of NYC."

Mikey shook his head. "Someone forgot to take his happy pill this morning."

"Honestly, Raph, I think you're pushing the "being a jerk" business a little far." Leonardo sighed. "Take it down a notch."

"I've tried takin' it down a notch, Leo." Raphael snapped. "You wanted me to be- what the hell was the word- hospitable to them. I ain't putting up with them any longer- especially not that fuckin' half-pint."

"Whaaatever." Mikey said in a sing-song voice. "You're into her. You can't hide it, Raph."

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, I HARDLY KNOW HER-"

"Doesn't give you a licence to be a total asshole." They turned to stare at the doorway, where Emilie stood with her arms folded tightly against her chest. "I heard everything you said. Thanks for making it all crystal clear."

Before anyone could object, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. A concerned Mikey followed her, while Raphael sat motionless, stunned.

"Way to go, Raph." Donatello shook his head. "Standing ovation."

"Something tells me that they'll end up leaving by their own will." Leonardo stood up, placid as could be. "I'll leave this to you to fix, Raph. Goodnight, boys."

"Goodnight, Leo." Donatello replied rather cheerily. "Raph."

Raphael merely grunted in response. _Great. How the fuck am I gonna save myself from this bullshit?_

* * *

Mikey was promptly warded off by Cecilia when attempting to speak with Emilie, and was told that Emilie "needed time alone". Keeping his concern to himself, Mikey decided to kick back with a soda and a bit of online gaming, which he found more entertaining due to his preference to annoy and torment other players instead of performing the tasks at hand.

About twenty minutes into the game, Anna entered the room, practically shaking. Upon seeing her, Mikey lit up, blue eyes guileless. He reached out an arm to her, grinning. "Hey, angelcakes! Grab the other controller 'cause I'm totally challenging you to a race on Rainbow Road."

Anna's face fell, and she ran towards Mikey, heavily colliding with his frame. Needing to be held by her best friend, she hugged him tightly, which her concerned friend was quick to return.

"Emilie's gone." Anna whispered. "I don't know where she went but I have a feeling that she did something really bad or got lost."

"Gone?" Mikey asked, his eyes widening. "Wha- bad? What do you mean by that?"

"I dunno, like jumped off a building or something?" Anna squeezed her eyes shut, but this obviously wasn't helping her. The young terrapin suddenly burst into tears- and it was the first time that Mikey had seen his cheerful friend cry. "I wanted to go look for her but Sonia told me I'd just put us in danger so she went by herself. I'm scared, Mikey- Emilie's been dealing with a lot of stuff and I feel like she's finally cracked- and I've kept her from hurting herself for this long but I don't know if I can stop her this time- oh gosh-"

"Two heads are better than one." Mikey murmured. "I'm gonna make sure Sonia's okay and help her look for Em. You stay here- everything's gonna be fine. Okay? Believe me when I say that."

"B-but I know Emilie better than anyone else." Anna spluttered. "I have to go with you guys- otherwise you'll probably never find her. Besides, she won't talk to anyone but me."

Mikey managed a smile. "I guess you're coming with me, then. Grab a stick or something, Annie- they're surprisingly good for knocking people out."

At least this made Anna giggle. After assuring his friend was in a state to leave the lair, Mikey lead Anna to the dojo in an attempt to be stealthy- but alas, they were caught by Leonardo.

"Where do you think you're going, Mikey?" He asked, crossing his arms. "And are you really taking her with you?"

"Her sister up and left, Leo." Mikey protested. "I'd do the same if one of you dudes ran away."

"I've already noticed that Sonia's missing." Leonardo narrowed his eyes. "I figured there was no stopping her. But you're not joining her-"

"Yeah we are." Mikey was already out of the lair by the time Leonardo finished his sentence. "See ya later, bro! We'll be back in like- uh- I don't know how long!"

Anna gave Leonardo a sheepish smile, then hastily followed Mikey. Leonardo looked so done at this point.

Then Donatello showed up. "Was that Anna leaving the lair?"

"Yeah-"

In an instant, Donatello grabbed his staff and was out of the lair before Leonardo could register what was happening. Rolling his eyes, Leonardo said loudly, "anyone else wanting to leave the lair and join this, uh- search party?"

As expected, Raphael was off somewhere sulking and avoiding the rest of the world. Figuring he should drag his asshole of a brother out of the lair to fix this fuck-up, Leonardo made to leave the dojo, only to come face to face with Cecilia.

Her eyes were unusually bright- she was struggling to keep up a courageous front. "I'm going."

Leonardo looked away. "I'd rather you didn't."

"Emilie is my sister." Cecilia's voice was steely. "I know she's reckless sometimes, but she doesn't often pull stunts like this. I'm going to go and find her."

"The last time you left the lair you almost got yourself killed." Leonardo muttered. "What are the odds it'll happen again?"

"Doesn't matter." Cecilia replied shakily. "I'd die for my family. It's as simple as that."

Before Leonardo could protest, Cecilia was already halfway up the ladder. She stopped for a moment, and looked back at him thoughtfully. "If you're that worried, then come with me. I'm not stopping you."

Leonardo didn't say anything.

Deciding to change tactics, Cecilia managed a smile. "Think of it as a trip across the cosmos. Allons-y!"

Eventually, Leonardo let out a defeated sigh. "Raph, you're coming too. You caused this, you sort it out. Fair game."

He glanced back at Cecilia. "Alright- are we doing this or not?"

"Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?"

"I'm guessing that's from, uh..."

"Doctor Who? Yes."

"... I should probably watch more of it."

"You probably should."

* * *

**So, uh *sweats nervously* was the chapter good enough for a comeback after a year long hiatus? ._.**

**The next chapter will definitely come before May next year. I actually bet my life on the chance that I'll get back into TMNT after I see the new movie. Then the chapters will probably be rolling out like I'm a freaking factory or something.**

**Romance is still slowly blooming. Let me know how impatient you are in the reviews! I'm actually impatient myself. I want cheesiness! **

**Any ideas? Thoughts? Critiques? Just comments in general? I love reviews. They're like cookies. Metaphorical cookies. I am now hungry.**

**Stay tuned for chapter twelve! :D**


End file.
